This winter in Winnipeg, we’ve seen some extreme cold temperatures take hold of the city. With that, we’ve started to see Winnipeg homeowners experience frozen water pipes.

According to this video report from CTV Winnipeg on frozen pipes, there have been dozens of calls for burst water pipes, with the majority coming near the end of 2017.

Comparatively, however, there were considerably more calls for frozen water pipes in the winter of 2013/14.

This year, one of the victims was the St. Amant Centre, where they experienced a burst water pipe on New Year’s.

Older buildings in general will be at a higher risk of pipe freezing as they just don’t have the same insulation as newer buildings with an updated building code.

On a positive note, there are systems that can alert the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service if something does go wrong, such as a burst water pipe. In commercial buildings where there may be expensive equipment, investing in such a system may save money and headache in the long run.

Again, there are several ways to prevent water pipes from freezing in winter. One thing you can do preemptively is to make sure that your heating equipment is properly maintained. You can also insulate any exposed pipes and maintain a minimum thermostat temperature of 16 degrees Celsius if you plan on getting away this winter.

To recap, so far this year the city of Winnipeg has reported no frozen pipes on city property; however, there have been 4 reports of underground frozen pipes on residential property and 115 reports of internal frozen pipes.

The city is monitoring the frost depth and will contact homeowners who are at risk.

If you do experience frozen water pipes and need them unthawed by a professional, or if you have a burst water pipe, call Dean’s Plumbing & Heating, your trusted Winnipeg Plumbing expert.