Check your pipes: Cold snap could cause costly leaks

A water main break along Hudson Road sent water and debris rushing down the driveway of a home in West Kelowna late Monday night.

There wasn’t much the homeowners could do to prevent it but there are some things you can do to head off a burst water line in your own home, and prevent costly damage.

One of the first things to remember when cold weather sets in is to make sure you don’t have any water lines exposed to the elements.

“So, something like a trailer, for instance, that has water lines underneath, if you can run some heat tape around your pipes. Extra insulation is always going to help,” says Richard Brewer, a project manager with Total Restoration Services.

“You need a little bit of water flow to stop it freezing, so if you’re really concerned just turn the tap on a little bit, so the water is moving and that should help.”

He says one of the most common causes of burst pipes in the Central Okanagan is when people forget to remove their garden hose from the outside tap before winter.

“If you leave your hose pipe connected to that faucet, there's a very good chance that that will freeze and break. And when you go to use it in the spring it will leak into your house because the frost-free pipe is actually inside your home even though the faucet is outside,” Brewer explained.

Another common problem is when people turn their heat off or down substantially when they go on vacation. Brewer says if you are going to be away for an extended period, turn off your main water source to the home and drain the pipes before you leave.

A good sign you might have a leak is a sudden drop in water pressure. However, a leak sometimes won’t rear its head until after a cold snap, when the melt begins.

A quick response is key to preventing damage to your home.

“Mould growth can start after two days,” says Brewer.

“You don’t want to leave it because, at the end of the day, it’s your health that you’re going to be putting at risk if you don’t deal with it straight away.”

Repairs to the burst water main on Hudson Rd. continued all day Tuesday. Some homes were without water and were being directed to a City of West Kelowna filling station at Shannon Lake Road and Asquith Road.