How to Winterize Your Home’s Plumbing Before the Cold Arrives

Winterize your home’s plumbing every fall to avoid a burst pipe this winter. Shut off and drain outdoor faucets, insulate exposed pipes, protect your water heater, and know where to find your main shutoff valve. Skipping these steps is one of the most common, preventable causes of costly water damage across Canada each winter. A few hours of work in October or early November can save thousands in repairs and insurance claims. This guide covers exactly what to do, what it costs, and how to choose a contractor who gets it right.

What Homeowners Need to Know Before You Winterize Your Home’s Plumbing

Water expands by roughly nine percent as it freezes. That expansion puts intense pressure on copper, PEX, and PVC pipes alike. It does not take much cold to cause a crack. Pipes running through unheated basements, crawl spaces, garages, and exterior walls are the most vulnerable.

According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, standard home insurance policies generally cover water damage from a burst pipe. However, this only applies if the pipes sat in a heated part of the home and the homeowner took reasonable steps to maintain that heat. In other words, insurers expect homeowners to winterize your home’s plumbing as normal seasonal upkeep, not as an optional extra.

Every Canadian home is a little different. A bungalow with a finished basement faces different risks than a century home with an unheated crawl space. The fundamentals of how you winterize your home’s plumbing stay the same across the country.

Step-by-Step: How to Winterize Your Home’s Plumbing

Shut Off and Drain Outdoor Hose Bibs

Start outside. Disconnect every garden hose and drain it fully before storing it for the season. Locate the interior shutoff valve for each outdoor hose bib and close it. Then open the exterior tap to let any remaining water drain out completely.

If your home has an older, non-frost-free hose bib, this step matters even more. Water left sitting in that short section of pipe just inside the wall is exactly what freezes and splits first.

Insulate Exposed Pipes in Basements and Crawl Spaces

Foam pipe sleeves are inexpensive and take an afternoon to install. Focus on any pipe running along an exterior wall, through an unheated crawl space, or across an uninsulated garage ceiling. For particularly exposed runs, electric heat cable offers additional protection. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and local electrical code when you install it.

Sealing drafts around the pipe penetrations themselves, using caulk or expanding foam, often matters just as much as the insulation. Cold air finding its way through a small gap around a pipe can undo an otherwise solid insulation job.

Protect Your Water Heater and Sump Pump

A water heater in an unheated garage or an uninsulated corner of the basement benefits from its own insulating jacket. This is also a good time to test the temperature and pressure relief valve, following the manufacturer’s manual. A stuck valve often signals a system nearing the end of its service life.

Sump pumps deserve a look too. A frozen or blocked discharge line is an overlooked cause of basement flooding during a winter thaw. Confirm the line has a proper slope with no low spots where water can pool and freeze.

Prepare Plumbing Before You Travel This Winter

Heading away for a week or more changes the calculus. If nobody will check the house regularly, shut off the main water supply and drain the lines. This is the safest option. If you would rather leave the water running, check your policy first. Most insurance policies require the thermostat to stay above a minimum temperature, often 12 to 16 degrees Celsius. Someone should also check the property periodically.

Our guide to protecting your home while you travel this winter covers smart thermostats and leak sensors. These tools make it easier to manage from a distance.

Common Mistakes Homeowners Make When They Winterize Plumbing

Even well-intentioned homeowners get a few things wrong every year. The most frequent misstep is forgetting the interior shutoff valve for an outdoor hose bib. This leaves a short but vulnerable stretch of pipe full of standing water all winter.

Turning the thermostat down too far while away is another common error. A furnace set below the recommended minimum can allow pipes inside exterior walls to freeze, even though the home is technically heated.

Homeowners sometimes assume a finished basement is automatically safe. However, rim joists, exterior wall cavities, and areas behind built-in cabinetry can still run cold. Homeowners frequently miss these spots.

Our article on DIY renovation gone wrong covers this problem in more detail. A poorly installed connection or an improperly vented drain can cause water damage that spreads through walls and floors before anyone notices.

Cost Considerations for Winterizing Your Home’s Plumbing

For most homes, a basic seasonal winterization is inexpensive. Foam pipe sleeves and hose bib covers typically cost under $50, and you can often finish the work in an afternoon. Heat cable for a handful of exposed runs adds another $100 to $300, including installation.

Hiring a licensed plumber for a full seasonal check typically runs $150 to $350, depending on the region and home size. This includes testing the water heater relief valve, the sump pump, and the shutoff valves. That cost is minor compared to the alternative. Water damage from even a single burst pipe frequently reaches into the tens of thousands of dollars once you factor in flooring, drywall, and mould remediation.

Homes with older galvanized piping or in-ground irrigation lines that also need draining should budget toward the higher end of that range. Ask a contractor for a specific quote if you are unsure.

How to Choose the Right Contractor to Winterize Your Home’s Plumbing

Not every plumbing job requires a licensed professional. However, several parts of a proper winterization do, particularly anything involving the water heater, gas lines, or the main shutoff valve. When you do bring in help, start by confirming licensing and insurance in your province.

Ask whether the contractor is familiar with your home’s piping materials and age. Older homes with galvanized pipe often need a more careful approach than a newer build. A contractor who asks detailed questions before quoting a price is generally a good sign.

The Baeumler Approved directory connects homeowners with vetted, insured professionals who already meet these standards. That removes much of the guesswork from finding someone qualified for seasonal plumbing work.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring

Before any work begins, ask these questions:

• Are you licensed to perform plumbing work in this province, and can I see documentation?
• Do you carry liability insurance, and who covers the cost if something breaks during the work?
• What does your seasonal winterization checklist actually include?
• Will you test the water heater relief valve and inspect the sump pump discharge line?
• What is your response time if a pipe freezes or bursts later this winter?
• Do you offer any warranty on the work performed?

A contractor who answers these clearly, without hesitation, is far more likely to deliver reliable work.

Red Flags to Watch For

Walk away from anyone who cannot provide proof of licensing or insurance on request. The same goes for a contractor who pressures you into unnecessary upsells. A full pipe replacement when a simple insulation job would solve the problem is a common example.

Vague, verbal-only quotes are another warning sign. A written estimate that spells out exactly what the contractor will do protects both of you if a dispute comes up later.

Why Contractor Vetting Matters

Plumbing sits at the intersection of two things homeowners cannot afford to get wrong: water and gas. A poorly installed connection or an improperly sealed line can cause damage that stays invisible for months. It often surfaces later as a major repair.

Vetting matters because the stakes are higher than they look. A contractor who cuts corners on a routine winterization job is more likely to cut corners on larger plumbing work later. The National Building Code of Canada also sets clear expectations for this work, regardless of project size.

The Baeumler Approved Difference

Every contractor in the Baeumler Approved network has passed a vetting process that includes licensing verification, insurance confirmation, and background checks. Built on Bryan Baeumler’s decades of experience in construction and renovation, the network exists for one reason: homeowners should not have to gamble on who they let into their home.

Whether the job is a quick seasonal check or a full plumbing overhaul, working with a Baeumler Approved member means the same thing. The work meets a standard that goes beyond the minimum. Find a Baeumler Approved contractor to help you winterize your home’s plumbing before the next cold snap arrives.

For related seasonal upkeep, see our winter plumbing risks guide and our winter basement moisture guide. Our winter HVAC checklist pairs naturally with a fall plumbing check too.

For general seasonal maintenance planning, the CMHC Homebuying Step by Step Guide outlines how to maintain and protect a home year-round.

Find a Baeumler Approved Contractor