Category: Prevention Tips

Calgary’s winters are unpredictable: a balmy Chinook one day, -30°C with wind chill the next. Those sudden plunges catch pipes off guard, especially in bonus rooms over garages, exterior-wall kitchens and older homes with little insulation. And Calgary has another plumbing problem: many homes built from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s still have Poly-B plumbing. Here’s how to protect your home and what to do when a pipe bursts.

If a Pipe Has Burst: Act Fast

1. Shut off the main water valve. In most Calgary homes it’s in the basement where the water line enters, near the meter.
2. Turn off the hot water tank.
3. Cut power to wet areas from a dry spot.
4. Open low taps to drain remaining water.
5. Keep the furnace running so other pipes don’t freeze.
6. Relieve a bulging ceiling carefully with a small hole over a bucket.
7. Photograph the damage and keep the failed pipe section.
8. Call a plumber and a water damage restoration company in Calgary.

Why Pipes Burst in Calgary

Sudden temperature drops

When a Chinook breaks and Arctic air rushes in, temperatures can drop very quickly. Pipes in marginal spots, fine at -10°C, can freeze at -30°C with wind.

Bonus rooms over garages

Very common in Calgary suburbs like Panorama Hills, Evanston, Cranston, Auburn Bay, Mahogany and Sage Hill. Plumbing in the floor above a cold garage is a classic freeze point.

Older homes

Inner-city homes in areas like Bridgeland, Capitol Hill, Killarney and Bowness may have pipes in poorly insulated exterior walls or crawlspaces.

Poly-B plumbing

Grey polybutylene pipe (often stamped “PB2110”) was widely used in Calgary homes built from the late 1970s to mid-1990s, in communities like Edgemont, Hawkwood, Ranchlands, Sundance, Shawnessy and Woodbine. It and its fittings can fail without warning. Many insurers ask about it and may restrict coverage.

Outdoor taps

Hoses left connected trap water in the tap, even “frost-free” ones.

Winter Prevention Checklist

• Disconnect hoses and shut off outdoor taps before the first freeze.
• Insulate pipes in garages, crawlspaces and rim joists; add heat cable where needed.
• Keep the thermostat at 18°C or higher, especially when a cold snap follows a Chinook.
• Open sink cabinets on exterior walls during deep cold.
• Let a thin stream run from vulnerable taps overnight.
• Keep the garage door closed.
• Install leak sensors and a smart thermostat with low-temp alerts.
• If you have Poly-B, get a quote to replace it, and check what your insurer requires.

Away for the Holidays?

Many policies require someone to check your home regularly in heating season or the water to be shut off and lines drained. Check your policy before you leave. See our insurance guide.

Restoration After a Burst Pipe

We extract the water, map moisture with thermal imaging, open or vent wall cavities, dry with commercial dehumidifiers and air movers, apply antimicrobial and rebuild. A one-level burst typically runs $4,000–$9,000; see the Calgary cost guide.

Related: Chinook ice dams · mould after water damage

Calgarians love a Chinook: a warm, dry wind off the Rockies that can push temperatures up 20 degrees or more in a matter of hours in the middle of winter. Your roof is less of a fan. Rapid melt followed by a sudden refreeze is the perfect recipe for ice dams, and ice dams are one of the most common causes of winter ceiling leaks in Calgary.

How Chinooks Create Ice Dams

1. Snow builds up on the roof during a cold spell.
2. A Chinook arrives: the snow melts quickly, and heat leaking from the attic adds more melt.
3. Meltwater runs down to the cold eaves and overhangs.
4. Temperatures drop again, often overnight, and that water freezes into a ridge of ice at the eaves.
5. Repeat. The ice dam grows with each cycle, and water pools behind it, backing up under the shingles and into the attic, walls and ceilings.

Calgary’s frequent freeze-thaw swings mean ice dams can build up and leak several times in one winter.

Warning Signs

• Thick ice ridges and large icicles along the eaves
• Water stains on ceilings near exterior walls
• Wet or frosty attic insulation
• Peeling paint or bubbling drywall on upper floors
• Water dripping from light fixtures or around windows

Attic Frost: The Other Chinook Leak

During deep cold, warm moist air leaking into the attic freezes on the underside of the roof deck and nails as frost. When a Chinook warms things up, all that frost melts at once and drips onto insulation and ceilings. It’s often mistaken for a roof leak. The fix is air-sealing and ventilation, not shingles.

What to Do When It’s Leaking

1. Put buckets and towels under drips; move furniture and electronics.
2. If a ceiling is bulging, carefully puncture the lowest point to drain it into a bucket.
3. Turn off power to light fixtures with water in them.
4. Don’t climb an icy roof or chip ice with tools; you’ll damage shingles.
5. A roofing pro can steam ice dams off safely.
6. Call a water damage restoration company in Calgary to dry the attic, ceilings and walls before mould starts.

Restoration After an Ice Dam Leak

We locate wet areas with thermal imaging and moisture meters, remove saturated insulation where needed, dry ceilings and wall cavities, apply antimicrobial to prevent mould, and repair drywall and paint once materials are verified dry. Typical costs for ceiling and wall damage run $3,000–$12,000; see the cost guide.

Insurance

Many Alberta policies cover sudden water damage from ice dams, though some exclude or limit it, and damage from long-term neglect may be denied. Report promptly and document everything. See our insurance guide.

Preventing Ice Dams in Calgary

• Air-seal the attic floor around pot lights, attic hatches, plumbing stacks and bath fans.
• Top up insulation to keep heat in the living space.
• Ventilate with soffit and ridge/roof vents to keep the roof deck cold.
• Vent bath and kitchen fans outdoors, never into the attic.
• Rake snow off the lower roof from the ground after big storms, especially before a forecast Chinook.
• Consider heat cable at eaves on problem areas.
• Keep gutters clear before winter.

Also see: frozen and burst pipes · hail damage leaks