· 4 min read · Taylor Plumbing
Christchurch gets sharp overnight frosts, especially inland toward Rolleston, Lincoln and the foothills. Water expands as it freezes, and the split usually shows up as a flood the moment it thaws in the morning sun.
Lag the pipes that are exposed
Foam pipe insulation from any hardware store handles most of it. Focus on pipework under the house, in an unlined garage, running up an outside wall, and any run in the roof space.
Deal with outdoor taps
- Disconnect and drain garden hoses before winter
- Fit an insulated tap cover
- If the outside tap has its own isolating valve, shut it off and drain the line
Keep a little heat and movement
On the coldest nights, leave the cupboard doors under sinks open so house warmth reaches the pipes, and let one cold tap drip slowly. Moving water is much harder to freeze.
Going away for winter?
If the house will be empty, shut the water off at the toby and drain the system down. An empty pipe can't burst, and a burst in an empty house can run for days.
If a pipe has already frozen
- Shut the water off at the toby before it thaws
- Open the nearest tap so melting water has somewhere to go
- Thaw gently with warm towels or a hairdryer, working from the tap back
- Never use a naked flame or blowtorch
- Watch for a leak as it thaws, that's when the split shows
Frequently asked questions
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