Field guide for Burlington owners
Winterizing Your Plumbing in Burlington
A frozen pipe rarely announces itself until it thaws and leaks. A short autumn routine removes most of the risk.
- Steps you can safely take yourself
- What it looks like in Burlington houses
- When to put the wrench down and phone us
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The short answer
Before the first hard frost, disconnect hoses, shut off and drain outdoor taps, insulate pipes in cold spots, and know where your main shut-off is. For a cottage, cabin or empty house, drain the whole system rather than relying on heat.
Key point
A frozen pipe rarely announces itself until it thaws and leaks.
Step by step
- Remove every garden hose. Coil and store them. A hose left on a frost-free faucet traps water inside the body.
- Close interior shut-offs for outdoor taps where they exist, then open the outside tap to drain. Leave it open until spring.
- Blow out irrigation lines. Sprinkler systems need compressed air to clear the zones; a landscaping contractor usually handles this.
- Insulate exposed pipe in garages, crawlspaces, unheated porches and along exterior walls with foam sleeves.
- Seal drafts where cold air reaches pipes, such as rim joists, dryer vents and gaps around service entries.
- Open cabinet doors beneath sinks on exterior walls when the cold bites so room heat reaches the pipes.
- Keep the thermostat steady. If you travel, leave the heat on at a moderate level and ask someone to check the house.
Draining a seasonal property
For a cottage or a house left empty for months, the safest route is to shut off the main, open every tap from top to bottom, drain the water heater (after turning off its power or gas), flush toilets and sponge out the tanks, and pour plumbing antifreeze rated for potable systems into traps. Leave taps open so expanding ice has room.
One more habit pays off: take a quick photo of where each shut-off sits once you have found it, and keep it on your phone. When a problem comes at night, you will not be hunting with a flashlight.
Have this ready when you call
- Which fixture, which floor
- Whether the main is closed
- Rough age of the house and heater
- Any past floods or drain work
The moment to phone us
- A pipe has already frozen and you cannot locate the blockage. See frozen pipe thawing.
- An outdoor faucet leaks inside the wall when tested.
- Pipes run through an exterior wall with no access, and they freeze every winter.
- You want a frost-free faucet installed in place of an old compression bib; see outdoor faucet repair.
First move in a leak
Close the main shut-off, open a low tap to drain pressure, then call (365) 464-5184.
Burlington specifics
Burlington's winters swing between mild spells and sharp cold snaps driven by wind off Lake Ontario. Those swings catch people out: a pipe that survives a calm minus fifteen can freeze in a windy minus ten. North-facing walls, bay windows with plumbing beneath them and attached garages are the usual weak points. Rural properties in Kilbride, Lowville and Carlisle have long, shallow lines to outbuildings that deserve particular attention. For the reverse in April, see our spring checklist, and for reducing scale buildup in heaters you drain, read about hard water in Burlington.
If a pipe bursts: shut the main valve before anything else, then phone. Keep towels and a bucket handy while you wait.
Questions we hear
Should I leave a tap dripping in cold weather?
A slow trickle on a vulnerable line can help during an extreme cold snap, as moving water is harder to freeze. It is a stopgap, not a substitute for insulation.
Do I need to drain my water heater for winter?
Only in a seasonal property that will be unheated. In an occupied home, keep it running.