Water pipes starting to burst as city keeps eye on depth of frost
Most service lines are buried 1.5 metres deep and remain unaffected
Close to 100 Hamilton residents have reported frozen water pipes in their homes since winter’s first real cold snap hit just before Christmas.
City water director Andrew Grice said 92 frozen pipes in homes have been reported since Dec. 24, while city crews have also had to repair 12 water main breaks over the same period.
The spate of frozen pipe calls is “a bit more than normal” for an average Hamilton winter to this point, Grice said. (Last year, a notably mild winter, saw only about a dozen calls in total.)
But Grice added so far, all of the reported pipe freezes have occurred on private property — as opposed to on the city-owned side of the line — and often in poorly insulated walls, rather than in the ground.
In 2015, a record February deep freeze pushed frost levels down several feet and froze hundreds of water lines feeding residential houses. That chilly crisis eventually forced the city to deliver water jugs to affected homeowners, offer special grants and spend millions hiring private contractors to help unfreeze pipes.
So far, daily city tests have shown the frost line extends between 20 and 60 centimetres below the surface, said Grice. Most water service lines are buried 1.5 metres deep and should be unaffected by the surface freeze so far.
Frigid daytime highs of around -17 C are expected again this weekend before temperatures rebound somewhat next week.
“We’re keeping a close eye on frost levels, but so far, we’re not at
concerning levels yet,” said Grice, who added the city will send out special alerts if the ground freezes a metre or more in depth.
At that point, the city will leave phone messages with advice for an estimated 1,200 residents who experienced frozen water services in 2015 or 2016.
The city is only legally responsible for frozen water services lines on public property — the section of water line from the underground main pipe to your private property. (You can report the frozen pipe regardless to the city at 905-5462489.)
If that public portion of the pipe freezes, the city will come to thaw the line. If the buried line on your private property freezes, residents are advised to call a qualified contractor to deal with the problem.
If you want to handle it yourself, the city suggests using a hair dryer, hot water bottles or small heater.
The Hamilton Fire Department is urging residents to avoid using open flames or equipment like a blow torch to thaw frozen pipes.
A blowtorch used on frozen pipes was blamed for at least one house fire on the Mountain in the winter of 2016.
An apartment fire near Montreal last week is also thought to have started under similar circumstances.
Most water service lines are buried 1.5 metres deep and should be unaffected by the surface freeze so far.