City of Guelph keeping a close eye on pipes during cold snap

The City of Guelph does not want a repeat of the winter of 2014-15 when it dealt with hundreds of frozen pipes and dozens of water main breaks.

But even with the bitterly cold temperatures of late, officials don’t believe the city’s infrastructure is at a critical point yet.

READ MORE: Guelph bracing for weekend cold snap

“The depth of frost is about a metre in the ground and all of our city services are below that with some very, very small exceptions,” said Keir Taylor, a supervisor with the city’s water services department.

But Taylor said there is still a concern that the city’s water mains could freeze given the frigid temperatures still to come.

“We’re monitoring it, we have programs in place for that which we can implement once it gets to a certain threshold. We’re not at that threshold yet.”

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In the first few months of 2015, nearly 400 homes and businesses were affected by frozen pipes. This winter, the city said they’ve only responded to a few dozen frozen pipe calls and 11 water main breaks since Dec. 1.

READ MORE: City of Hamilton sees spike in calls about frozen water pipes

There are a few measures property owners can take to prevent frozen pipes during the cold snap.

• Insulate water pipes, especially where they enter the home, where they run along outside walls, and in crawl spaces and attics.
• Open doors to the basement, laundry rooms and pantries to keep water pipes warm
• Seal air leaks in your home and garage
• Keep garage doors closed if there are water pipes in the garage
• Shut off and drain pipes leading to outside faucets
• Run taps for periods at a time

If you find that all water service to your home has stopped or aren’t sure where the problem is, you can call the city.

• Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – 519-837-5627
• After hours and holidays – 1-866-630-9242