A mild winter still freezes pipes: how to prepare for a cold snap

Before the cold arrives

1. Disconnect garden hoses. A hose left attached traps water in the tap, where it freezes and splits the pipe inside the wall.
2. Shut off and drain outdoor taps. Most homes have a shut-off valve for each outside tap inside the house. Close it, then open the outdoor tap to let the water run out.
3. Insulate exposed pipes in the garage, crawl space, attic and along outside walls. Foam pipe sleeves from a hardware store are cheap and quick to fit.
4. Find your main water shut-off valve and check that it turns. If a pipe bursts, closing it fast limits the damage.

During a cold snap

• Keep the heat on, even when you're away. Turning it off to save money is how pipes freeze.
• Open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls so warm air reaches the pipes.
• Let a tap on an outside wall run at a thin trickle overnight. Moving water is much harder to freeze.
• Keep the garage door closed if water lines run through the garage.

Going away over the holidays?

Leave the heat on, ask someone to check the house every day or two, and consider shutting off the main water valve while you're gone. Many home insurance policies have conditions about checking a vacant home in winter, so read yours before you leave.

If a pipe freezes

• A tap that gives only a trickle, or nothing, on a freezing morning usually means a frozen pipe.
• Leave that tap open so water can flow as the ice melts.
• Warm the pipe gently with a hair dryer or warm towels, starting from the tap end.
• Never use a torch, heat gun or any open flame. It's a fire risk and can damage the pipe.

If a pipe bursts

Close the main water shut-off right away, switch off power to the area if water is near anything electrical, and call a plumber. Pipes often burst as they thaw, so stay alert after the cold breaks, not only during it.