Burst pipes in Calgary: what causes them and what to do immediately

A burst pipe can put hundreds of litres into your home before you find it. In Calgary the cause is usually cold, but not always — age, water pressure and hard-water corrosion do their share. Knowing what to do in the first five minutes matters more than knowing why it happened.

What to do right now

1. Shut off the water. The main shut-off is usually in the basement near the front of the house, close to the water meter. Turn it clockwise until it stops.
2. Open the lowest faucet in the house to drain the remaining water out of the system and take pressure off the split.
3. Kill power to the affected area at the panel if water is anywhere near outlets, lights or the furnace.
4. Photograph everything before you start cleaning up. Your insurer will want it.
5. Call a plumber. A burst line is not a wait-until-Monday problem.

Why pipes burst here

Freezing

Water expands as it freezes. The split usually happens in an uninsulated run — a crawl space, a garage wall, a line to an outdoor faucet — and often you don’t find out until it thaws and starts flowing again. That delay is why a pipe that froze on a cold night can flood on a mild afternoon.

Age and corrosion

Older galvanised lines corrode from the inside. Calgary’s hard water accelerates scaling, the internal diameter narrows, pressure rises and a weak section eventually gives out.

Pressure

Anything above about 80 psi puts constant strain on joints, fixtures and appliance hoses. If your pressure has never been checked, it is worth doing — a pressure-reducing valve is far cheaper than a flood.

Preventing the next one

• Insulate any pipe running through an unheated space, and add heat trace where insulation isn’t enough.
• Disconnect garden hoses and shut off the outdoor faucet line before the first hard freeze.
• Keep the house above 15°C when you travel, and have someone check it.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls during a cold snap so warm air reaches the pipes.
• Learn where your main shut-off is before you need it, and make sure the valve actually turns.

If a pipe has already gone, shut off the water and call us. We answer 24/7 across Calgary and area.