As temperatures drop, Vancouver Island plumber expects flood of calls for burst water pipes

In the plumbing business, cold temperatures are referred to as the calm before the storm.

As the snow falls and the thermometer dips below freezing, Victoria plumber Wade Roberts knows his phone is about to start ringing.

“Generally, when we start getting all the calls is when everything starts to thaw out,” says Roberts.

Frozen pipes can crack and possibly lead to flooding when the thaw comes. An icicle at the end of a garden hose is usually the first clue.

"It was water that was in the hose that was expanding due to the freezing and pushing a little bit out, causing that icicle to form,” says Roberts.

He says homeowners should disconnect their hoses and drain the water from the hose.

"This little section of pipe here is full of water and that can freeze, expand and crack,” says Roberts. “Inside the house we’re going to be able to find a shutoff, so that we can actually turn the shutoff and drain this out."

Many Vancouver Islanders have never had to look for their shutoff valve before.

Fortunately Roberts knows where to look.

“I’m going to guess that that is for an outside tap and this one is for the inside taps,” says Roberts, pointing to taps buried under years of clutter.

That takes care of the exterior of the home, but what about issues that may arise in the interior?

“You might turn the tap on and all of a sudden water isn’t flowing and you’re like, 'What’s going on? There’s something wrong here,'" says Roberts.

If your sink is along an exterior wall like mine, the pipes in the wall may have frozen.

“You could open up your cupboard doors to allow warm air into that space,” he says.

Anther tip is to allow your taps to slowly trickle for short periods of time, preventing the water from becoming stagnant within the pipes and freezing.

If you find there is a problem with your pipes and you haven’t been able to locate that shutoff valve or get a professional to help, you can call your municipal office.

"They generally have somebody available 24 hours a day to shut the water off at the street," Roberts says.