Cold weather, warm pipes. Top tips to keep your pipes flowing
Winter in Ottawa offers plenty to enjoy, but frozen water pipes are not among them. With fluctuating temperatures and the potential for prolonged cold spells, frozen water pipes can become a concern for some households.
As frost penetrates deeper into the ground, it can cover water lines – the underground pipes connecting your home’s plumbing to the City’s watermain – in a frozen block.
But do not fret over the freeze! Remember Thomas, Charlie and Robert from the City’s dedicated Water Linear Customer Service team? They are ready to help you keep the water flowing.
How to prevent frozen water pipes
Here are their top tips on how you can protect the water service pipes on your property to ensure uninterrupted access to Ottawa’s exceptional tap water:
Keep the heat on. Maintain an indoor temperature of at least eight degrees Celsius, even if you’re away for a few days.
Keep your water lines warm. Leave doors open to areas with water lines or your water meter, especially in cooler basements, to allow heat to circulate.
Insulate pipes near exterior walls. Wrap foam pipe insulation around pipes that are more likely to freeze such as near exterior walls, in crawl spaces, or in the attic.
Close your garage. Keep your garage door shut to prevent cold air from reaching hidden water pipes, such as those in the ceiling servicing upstairs bathrooms.
Disconnect outdoor hoses. When hoses remain connected, the outside taps can’t drain and will freeze. Older taps often have a shutoff valve located in the basement ceiling, locate these, and shut them off for the winter.
Leave your water service buried. The snow acts as insulation and clearing snow from above allows the frost to dive down to your water line.
Locate your shut-off valve. Find your home’s interior water shut-off valve and ensure it is operational. This will allow you to act quickly in case of a burst pipe.
What to do if your water pipe freezes
If you’ve turned on your taps and found no water, then you might have a frozen water line. Call 3-1-1 to submit a service request. The City’s First Response Team will assess the issue and determine whether on-site assistance is needed.
With over 3,200 kilometers of underground pipelines the City provides safe drinking water to more than 950,000 customers. If a water service pipe freezes, the First Response Team will work to restore water service to the affected property as soon as possible.
Who is at risk?
Approximately 2,000 homes and businesses in Ottawa have water pipes that are shallower or less insulated, making them more vulnerable to freezing. Seasonal “Run Water” advisories are issued to at-risk properties when frost depths reach critical levels.
The City uses frost depth modeling based on average daily temperatures from Environment Canada’s Ottawa International Airport data. Monitoring begins once daily temperatures consistently drop below zero degrees Celsius.
Learn more
For additional information on preventing frozen water services, visit ottawa.ca/FrozenServices↗, call 3-1-1 or watch the video below.
Ottawa’s water is world-class. Taking preventative measures now will help ensure it continues to flow freely to your taps throughout the winter.
For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca↗, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook↗, X (formerly Twitter)↗ and Instagram↗.