Freezing Pipes in the winter

2011 and guess what? It's still freezing cold! Get used to it people this is Canada, and here in Ottawa we get colder than most. I figured today is a better day than most to talk about this topic since it is minus 21 degrees out right now. Most of us have heard about pipes freezing over in the winter and causing many issues for the home owner. No one really thinks of home maintenance during the winter. I get it. Its cold out, nice and toasty in your home and all you can think of is curling up and watching tv. Well unless you're hoping for an indoor pool, don't forget about your plumbing. Here's some things to consider.

FIRST THINGS FIRST - if you don't already know where your water main shut off is, please figure that out, and while your there, put a big tag on it so that everyone else in your home knows where it is too. Got babysitters? Then let them know too. This way, if something does go wrong and water is pouring out of the bottom of your sink you know how to stop it from doing more damage.

WHEN THE GOING GETS COLD, THEM PIPES MAY BURST - Alright so your not a scientist, here's how it works; you leave to go down to Florida in January to escape this awful cold weather, turn the heat down in your home to save costs, gets to -30, the water in the pipes freeze, frozen water expands and BOOM!!!! the pipes burst. So here's what you do before you go away,

• This one should be obvious but, DON'T TURN OFF YOUR HEAT! Turn it down but not off so that the temperature remains high enough to avoid freezing levels.
• Open the cupboard doors underneath the sinks to allow the warm air in the home to circulate into the cupboard and keep the pipes warm
• Turn on your faucets to a very slow drip to keep the water in the pipes moving.
• If you come home and come across a frozen pipe, you can usually unthaw them with a hair dryer.

DO IT YOURSELF........Perhaps. - If you run into a plumbing issue and you think you know what the problem is, maybe you can tackle that problem yourself. OR maybe not. Most plumbers out there make most of their money fixing botched up plumbing jobs from people that "thought" they knew what they were doing. Save yourself the hassle and just call in the pros. ( I know some great plumbers just ask)

So hopefully this helps and you can go away on your vacay and relax not worrying about how big of an indoor swimming pool may be awaiting you when you walk in the door.

Take care of your home, and it will take care of you.

Give me a shout if you have any real estate questions, or if you or anyone you know happens to need a hand in buying or selling a home. amiller@kwottawa.ca