Burst water pipe does not call on a convenient time. It occurs at 11 PM in January at -20 °C with the water flowing through the ceiling. We know, for more than 20 years we have been receiving those calls.
Whether you’re in Mississauga, Oakville, Oakville, Hamilton, Milton, Brampton, Cambridge or the Niagara region, BOS Plumbing and Drains is available to handle the frozen pipes and burst pipe issues throughout the GTA. Same-day service. Fully stocked trucks. Licensed, insured plumbers who have seen it all when it comes to winter weather, as it may present itself in your home.
Winter is a harsh season on plumbing in Canada. When the outdoor temperature is below -6°C, water pipes freezing is a possibility, particularly in homes with pipes that extend through exterior walls, unheated garages, crawl spaces, or along the rim joist.
The physics: When water freezes it expands by about 9%. Your drain pipe or supply line just cannot expand that much. The pressure quickly mounts and the pipe gives way. Sometimes it cracks. It may be completely divided into two parts. In either case, you are faced with water damage as soon as it turns into water.
In a GTA or Hamilton home, the pipes that are most likely to freeze are:
Perhaps the most important piece of advice a Mississauga or Oakville homeowner can have when it comes to plumbing is to know where the shut-off valve is in the event of a bursting pipe. Once frozen pipes in your house burst open, the clock is ticking.
Expert solutions for all your residential & commercial plumbing needs
We serve the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding regions with local expertise
Water damage and repair costs can add up to thousands of dollars if you catch a frozen pipeline in time before it bursts open. Watch for these.
If your water coming out of a faucet is trickling or none at all, there’s a likely reason it is frozen between your meter and that faucet. Plumbing frozen pipes starve faucets of pressure. See if it’s one tap, or multiple, that will tell you if it’s a local or main line freeze.
If visible, check for frost on the pipe. Often frozen water pipes can be seen from the exterior with ice crystals or a layer of condensation where the pipes are beginning to freeze. Please DO NOT ignore this, it’s the final warning before a crack shows up!
This is where sewer line cleaning calls have a tendency to begin. If the sewer cleanout or drain line freezes, water backs up and flows back into the sewer main. This creates a sewer odour rising from the floor drains or low fixtures. This is an emergency situation, not a problem.
Both clogged pipes and ice blockages produce strange noises that are caused by the attempt by water pressure to force its way through. If the water in the plumbing clogged drain is gurgling or if the sound of the hammering is heard when the ice moves around, this is a sign of stress. Don’t let this stress become a failure and call frozen pipes plumbers.
They see it and the broken pipe problem has begun. Shut your water meter as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more damage will be done to your home, particularly if the freeze is to a pressurized supply line instead of a drain.
No one is going to be sent out to diagnose then come back a week later for another appointment. Our Burst Pipe Plumber is ready to go with all the pipe fittings, copper, PEX, solder, heat tools and all parts required to fix most of the repairs during one visit.
Here’s what it will look like:
Step 1 – Finding the freeze/rupture: If necessary, we identify with the thermal imaging and inspection cameras the precise location of the problem. A drain pipe auger is used for a frozen drain line that has to be mechanically cleared in addition to being heated.
Step 2 – Thawing frozen water pipes safely: Thawing of frozen water pipes needs to be done in the correct manner. Avoid using heat of any kind, including an open flame, when installing PVC or near insulation. Secondary damage is the result of wrongly thawing water pipes. We’ve seen some DIY blowtorch work that has resulted in fires in walls.
Step 3 – Damage assessment: After thaw we check the entire line. If a water pipe bursts and is patched up without an inspection of the water pipe, it will probably re-open in a few months. We take things in all aspects.
Step 4 – Repair or replace: Most burst pipe repairs will be to cut out the damaged pipe and to fit a proper fitting. If there have been several freeze events, and the pipe has been compromised, we will be straight with you and say that it’s more logical to replace a section of pipe than patch it.
Step 5 – Ahead of the next winter freeze: It’s a requirement to protect pipes from freezing again this winter. We will discover which areas need insulation and let you know about heat tape for vulnerable runs and what has made your home vulnerable.
The answer of one number is not correct here. A burst pipe in the basement with a finished floor is much more expensive than a pipe burst in an accessible pipe in a finished basement.
What is the factor responsible for the cost:
BOS guarantees a fixed upfront price, without any work being done. No surprise payment or invoice at the end. For 20+ years we have been dealing with plumbing emergency repair work in Hamilton, Brampton and the GTA and the one thing that customers tell us most often is that they liked the fact that they knew the number before we picked up a tool.
All of our service areas have same day plumber services. We’re usually available within a few hours for anyone in Mississauga looking for a local emergency plumber, a plumber in Hamilton, plumbers in Oakville and elsewhere in the area.
The cost of preventing frozen pipes is much lower than the cost of repairing them. These aren’t difficult repairs.
Be proactive: Foam pipe insulation from hardware stores costs a few dollars per metre, insulated before the onset of season. All pipes that penetrate unheated areas, exterior wall cavity or crawl space should be insulated. Look for the sink drain trap under kitchen or bathroom cabinets on an outside wall.
Leave cabinet doors open on cold nights: If cabinet doors have a heated room that is against an exterior wall and there are plumbing lines under the cabinet, the heated room air can flow around the plumbing lines when the doors are open.
On the coldest nights, allow a trickle: This is because water pipes freezing occurs when water is still in a cold area. The slow drip prevents water from stagnating, which helps to make it more difficult to freeze.
You should know the location of your main shutoff valve: If pipes in the home freeze and burst open, it’s important to shut off the water right away, not after spending 10 minutes searching the basement.
Do not leave a home vacant without draining it: A large number of Niagara, Cambridge and GTA vacant homes have disproportionate plumbing emergencies during the winter. Drain lines or if not, ensure the heat is above 15°C if they are not being used for a few days during a cold snap.
Test the outside hose bibb: Unplug garden hoses for the winter. Even if the bib has a frost-free shutoff, the connected hose will hold water in the valve and line behind the valve.
20+ years of plumbing experience throughout Southern Ontario. From downtown Hamilton, to lake-front properties in Oakville, to residential neighbourhoods in Brampton and Cambridge, we’ve been out in the elements and in all kinds of homes to respond to calls regarding frozen and burst pipes.
Our technicians are licensed, our work is insured and we treat all of our calls as if they were important, as a residential plumber and drain service company. Frozen pipe claims typically occur when the homeowner is already stressed out, already aware of the water damage and wants someone to help them now.
There are a number of reasons why homeowners remain loyal to BOS:
Not only do we repair the visible damage, We will be able to determine the cause of the pipe freezing, locate weak points in your plumbing system and provide some solutions to help prevent another plumbing problem in the winter months.
From a frozen pipe to a burst water line, water damage issues, or simply the hassle of experiencing winter plumbing issues, BOS Plumbing and Drains bring to homeowners what they’d expect: the experience, responsiveness, and workmanship that matters most in every minute.
In some cases, you CAN. A hair dryer or heat lamp will work if the frozen section is visible, available and you’re working on a metal pipe. Begin from the faucet end and move towards the freeze. Avoid using an open flame. If the pipe is hidden behind a wall, or you can’t find the pipe, call a frozen pipe service professional. When thawing from a crack that was already created by DIY, it is likely that the crack will fully open up when the ice melts and relieves the pressure.
Most plumbers for burst pipe calls take 1 to 3 hours on-site, depending on access and the extent of the damage. Wall opens, multi-floor runs, or older cast iron systems take longer.
Yes, typically, if it was unexpected and accidental bursting. Most Ontario policies include coverage for damage to the structure and contents from a burst water pipe, but not the cost of the water pipe repair work. BOS provides documentation of repair and it will be useful for you! Review your insurance: some policies exclude coverage for empty homes, or leaking pipes that were subject to ongoing problems in the past.
Plumbing emergency response services are available throughout the entire GTA, Mississauga, Oakville, Hamilton, Milton, Brampton, Cambridge and even Niagara. After hours plumbing lines – our after hours plumbing line isn’t an answering machine, it’s a connection to a licensed plumber who can be on call for pipe repair calls after hours.
