Telltale signs: frozen pipe thawing
Ice in a pipe is not subtle. One faucet stops while the rest of the house carries on, or the kitchen gives a thin trickle after a night of minus twenty and wind. Frost on an exposed section of copper, a bulge in a plastic line, or a pipe that feels painfully cold to the touch near an outside wall all point the same way. The urgency lies in what happens next: ice takes up more room than water, so the water trapped between the plug and a shut tap is squeezed harder and harder until the weakest fitting splits.
- No water, or very little, from one or two fixtures
- Frost visible on pipes in a crawlspace, garage or bulkhead
- Strange odours from a drain whose trap has frozen
- Water heard running somewhere when every tap is closed
What we bring
- Copper, PEX and transition fittings
- Tubing cutter, torch, crimp and press tools
- Moisture meter and pressure gauge
Tested before we leave
- Section held under house pressure
- Joints wiped and checked dry
- Main reopened slowly to push out the air
On the job: what we open, clear and test
We first locate the frozen section, often by following the line from the dead fixture back toward the coldest wall. The faucet is opened so melting water has somewhere to go. Then heat is applied gradually with tools suited to the pipe: warm air, heat cable or, for long buried runs, specialised thawing equipment. Open flame has no place near pipes or framing, and we never use it.
Once flow returns, we inspect the length of pipe for splits, which often reveal themselves only after the ice melts. Small damage is repaired on the spot. Where a section has failed, our burst pipe repair service follows straight on.
What can change the job
Where the ice sits decides much of it. A line behind a finished wall may need a small access opening. A frozen water service between the street and the house is a larger matter and sometimes needs the City's involvement. Old galvanized or lead lines are more fragile, and if yours fall in that category, water line replacement or lead pipe replacement may be worth discussing once the weather turns.
Etobicoke homes and this job
Lines that freeze in Etobicoke tend to share a few traits: kitchen sinks on an exterior wall, supply pipes running through an unheated garage, and hose bibs left charged over winter. Homes around Etobicoke Centre with additions built over crawlspaces are another frequent case, since the insulation beneath the floor rarely matches the main house. Wind off the lake adds its own bite to south-facing lakeshore walls.
Before you call
Shut off the main if you see any water escaping. Open the cabinet doors below sinks on outside walls to let warm air in. Make a note of which taps are dead and which still run. If a drain smells oddly as the house warms, our page on why drains smell explains the usual reasons. Call (365) 816-2905 and we will help you decide what is urgent.