Preparing your house for the winter

Most Ontarians have figured it out, winter is cold and to stay warm you must dress for the weather, but for some reason we still forget to perform the necessary steps to prevent frozen pipes in our homes. Now that the temperature is dropping quickly, Dan Guest owner of Guest Plumbing, says he expects an increase in frozen and burst pipe calls in the near future.

To prevent that call, first shut off and drain the pipes leading to your backyard hose or pool. For snowbirds, there’s a different checklist to follow.

“Don’t empty the lines, what happens is you get oxidization over time and you end up having more problems when you turn it on when you come home.”

If you do find frozen pipes, fire officials say hot towels, hot water bottles and hair dryers are good ways to thaw a pipe. Never use an open flame or heater.