Cold weather leading to frozen water pipes

The cold reality of frozen pipes Residents in Ottawa are facing frozen pipes due to the extreme cold. CTV's Megan Shaw reports.

The owner of the new Kat and Kraken on Elgin St. went to open his restaurant Friday morning when he noticed there was no running water.

Downstairs some of the pipes had frozen and burst in the bone chilling weather.

“There were icicles hanging from the pipes, so when we started melting them off, of course water started pouring out and it was like Niagara Falls,” said owner, Stephan Marinovic.

Multiple businesses on Elgin were in the same boat. Marinovic said he was placed on a wait list to have a plumbing company come fix the problem. After closing early Thursday evening, he was hopeful to be back open by Friday night.

David Smythe from DS Plumbing said when the weather reaches -20, pipes will freeze.

Smythe suggests allowing warm air to get to the frozen pipe so it thaws on its own. He also suggests leaving a tap running slightly overnight for homeowners who have pipes that are known to freeze.

“Any moving water you have is a whole lot harder to freeze then when it’s just stationary,” he said.

Ottawa Fire is reminding people to never take a torch to frozen pipes. On Thursday, a fire broke out in Montreal when someone did just that.

“Anytime you use an open flame there’s always a chance of combustibles catching on fire, usually when pipes freeze they are in an area where it might be enclosed, near wood or wood chips,” said Marc Messier.

Messier says heat guns, candles, and lighters can be equally as dangerous – recommending homeowners use an expert before trying to take on the problem.