Temperatures are set to drop again and in the face of the bitter cold, plumbers across Northern Ontario have been busy dealing with frozen pipes.
It’s a problem that can be very costly when pipes break.
“Coaster temperatures have been quite interesting this year,” said Carrie Jean, owner of Castle Plumbing & Heating.
“Last month has been quite busy, we’ve had very cold nights, at least we’re getting a little breather during the day, but the calls for freezing pipes, no water, no heaters keep coming in and it makes it very difficult for us techs at times to get around Keeping up and keeping Sudbury warm and going.”
Rod Lefebvre has been a plumber for 34 years and said a common mistake people make is not having their homes checked when they go out.
“Just make sure that when you’re not home you have the right people who actually go in and look at things to make sure everything’s okay and stuff,” Lefebvre said.
Lefebvre said some homes are more at risk when pipes are on outside walls, but problems with freezing pipes can occur in any home as temperatures drop.
“If you can get the heat in as soon as possible to thaw things, you’ll save yourself damage down the line,” Lefebvre said.
Castle Plumbing and Heating said space heaters can help prevent frozen pipes but they must be used correctly and safely. There is also another preventive step.
“If you know it’s going to be really, really cold outside it never hurts, especially if you know you have a problem area in your house it never hurts to let your facet trickle because if something moves in that pipe , it can’t freeze,” Jean said.
In a recent tweet, Greater Sudbury Fire Brigade said it would never use open flames to thaw frozen pipes. For a safe solution, consider a certified plumber.
Comments are closed.