Residents warned of frozen water pipes

Press, 28 July 1989, Page 7

Residents warned of frozen water pipes

By NEIL CLARKSON Christchurch residents have been warned of the dangers of frozen water pipes after recent frosts. Ceilings in at least two Christchurch homes have collapsed this week because of burst water pipes, according to the Christchurch City Council’s waterworks and services engineer, Mr Ivan Crosbie. "It has been quite exciting the last couple of days,” said Mr Crosbie, commenting on the number of telephone calls about the problem. "We are very sympathetic, but it is a plumbing problem within their properties.” Mr Crosbie said it was important householders knew what to do to minimise water damage when their pipes froze. Those finding themselves without running

water on a frosty morning have frozen pipes. Mr Crosbie said it was likely that the water, which expands as it freezes, had burst a pipe in 80 to 90 per cent of cases. “They don’t know about it until the ice thaws,” he said. "Once it thaws the leaking water can do a lot of damage.” People finding themselves without water should immediately turn off the stop valve at the front of their property. The valve is in the ground, usually beneath a circular or rectangular metal plate. “They can then be reasonably well assured they won’t have any great amount of water coming out when the ice does thaw.” Mr Crosbie said people could further reduce the

flooding risk by then running off some hot water, which would reduce the level in the supply tank. Even pipes that carried hot water could freeze. Most frozen pipes occur in the ceiling space of houses. Those affected should call a plumber to fix any burst pipes and find where the icing problem was occurring. Mr Crosbie said those knowledgeable enough might be able to look themselves for the offending area of exposed pipe needing insulating. The problem was most common in houses with ceiling insulation, making the ceiling space colder at night while keeping the rooms warmer. For safety, all water pipes in the ceiling spaces of houses should be lagged.