Frozen Pipes in Ottawa

A frozen pipe shows up in a cold snap as a tap that slows to a trickle or stops. Open the cold tap nearest the cold spot and warm the pipe with a hair dryer or heating pad, never a flame. If you cannot reach the frozen section, or a pipe has split, call one of the plumbers in Ottawa.

If no tap in the house runs at all, suspect the underground water service pipe. The City of Ottawa thaws those, so call 3-1-1 before a plumber: where the pipe froze on the City's side, thawing costs you nothing.

What a frozen pipe looks like, and where it happens

The American Red Cross says to suspect a frozen pipe when a tap gives only a trickle, then check every other tap, because when one pipe freezes others may too.

Pipes freeze where the heat does not reach. Between the City of Ottawa and the Red Cross, these are the places to check first:

• pipes along outside walls with little or no insulation
• pipes in crawl spaces, attics and the garage
• supply lines inside kitchen and bathroom cabinets
• the basement wall where the water service comes in, near the meter
• outdoor taps and the short line that feeds each one

Why Ottawa pipes freeze, and why they burst

Ottawa gives a pipe plenty of chances. Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Ottawa airport count 23.7 days in an average January when the temperature never rises above 0 °C, and 76.4 such days a year. January averages -10.0 °C, with 8.1 days that drop below -20 °C.

The damage comes from the ice. Water expands as it freezes, and the Red Cross says no pipe, metal or plastic, is strong enough to stop that pressure. If a pipe has burst or may burst, the City of Toronto's first step is to turn off the main water supply, so find your shut-off before you start warming anything.

How to thaw a frozen pipe yourself

Only try this when the frozen section is inside the house and you can reach it. The City of Ottawa's steps:

1. Open the cold water tap nearest the frozen section, so you can tell when it has thawed.
2. Wrap an electric heating pad around the pipe, or warm it with an electric hair dryer.
3. Use a portable heater only with care, and keep it away from anything that can burn.
4. Heat the room or crawl space the pipe runs through.
5. Never use an open flame, and take care with any heat near insulation.

Keep the heat on until the water runs at full pressure, the Red Cross says. Toronto puts thawing at one to six hours and says never to leave a heating device unattended.

Stop and call a plumber if you cannot find the frozen part, cannot reach it, or still have no water after trying. If water is already on the floor, our guide to an emergency plumber in Ottawa covers the first ten minutes.

No water at all? Call 3-1-1 before a plumber

The pipe under your lawn has two owners. The City of Ottawa owns the water service from the watermain to the water shut-off valve, and the property owner is responsible from that valve into the house. City crews thaw frozen service pipes; report one through 3-1-1.

Who pays depends on where it froze. On municipal property, thawing is free. On private property, the City charges the cost of the work plus 15 per cent, every time it thaws that service. Homes on a private street, condominium corporations included, cannot use the City's inspection or thawing service.

Before the crew arrives

• Clear the snow from the water shut-off valve outside the house.
• Clear a path to the shut-off valve inside, and move furniture and breakables away from it.
• Watch for the City's call: it phones ahead.

If it stays frozen until spring

In a deep-frost winter, thawing does not always work. The City may run a temporary hose from a neighbour's yard until your service thaws on its own as the frost leaves the ground; most have thawed by late April or early May.

Without a temporary line, the City provides bottled water through 3-1-1 and free showers at any City recreation facility.

How to keep pipes from freezing

Most of the City of Ottawa's prevention list is about heat and air:

• keep every area with water pipes above 8 °C, especially near the meter
• wrap foam pipe insulation around pipes near outside walls, in crawl spaces and in attics
• seal air leaks in the house and garage, especially where pipes run
• drain the outdoor water line in the fall

The Red Cross adds three habits for cold nights: keep the garage door closed if pipes run through it, open the cabinet doors under sinks, and keep the thermostat at the same setting day and night. For each outdoor tap, close the valve inside, open the tap outside so it drains, and leave it open.

If the City sent you a run-water letter

The City sends a run-water advisory to vulnerable properties once the frost reaches a set depth. A letter, or a service that has frozen before, means yours is at risk. Run a steady stream of cold water at least the width of a drinking straw, a quarter inch, until the frost is out of the ground at the end of April.

If City records show the service freezes on your property, you pay for that water. If it freezes on the City's side and you got the written notice, your bill is based on past use. Ask why your service is at risk, too: the City says it may not be buried deep enough.

Frozen pipes and home insurance

Your own policy's wording decides. The Insurance Bureau of Canada, the insurers' industry association rather than a regulator, describes the usual home policy this way:

• sudden and accidental escape of water from indoor plumbing is usually covered
• damage from frozen indoor plumbing is generally treated as preventable
• away more than four days in the heating season, you must drain the plumbing or have the home checked regularly or daily, or freezing damage would likely be excluded
• damage from freezing outside the home is not covered

If a pipe has burst, IBC's claim steps: report it as soon as possible, photograph the damage, check with the insurer before throwing anything out, and keep every clean-up receipt. Your policy also requires you to limit further damage.

When to call a plumber, and how to check one

Call a plumber when the frozen section is on your side and out of reach, when a pipe has split, or when the same pipe freezes every winter.

Plumbing is one of Ontario's compulsory trades. Skilled Trades Ontario says anyone working in one must hold a Certificate of Qualification, a provisional certificate or a registered training agreement, and you can look a plumber up on its Public Register.

One Ottawa wrinkle: a plumber with a valid Quebec certificate is exempt from that requirement, and Skilled Trades Ontario says their details will not appear on its register. For a plumber based in Gatineau, ask to see the Quebec certificate instead.

Our guide to what plumbers charge in Ottawa sets out published hourly, call-out and after-hours rates. If the furnace has stopped and the house is cooling, call one of the HVAC companies in Ottawa as well: the City's 8 °C line is what keeps the pipes safe.