Cold Snaps in Victoria: Protecting Pipes That Never Expect to Freeze
Victoria's winters are famously mild, with frost on only about ten nights a year and some winters with none at all. That's exactly why a real cold snap catches so many pipes off guard.
Request a plumberHow cold it can get
The city has recorded −15.6°C, and Arctic outflow winds can bring several days well below freezing. Homes built for mild winters often have pipes in crawl spaces, garages and outside walls with little or no insulation.
Pipes most at risk
Outdoor hose bibs, irrigation lines and backflow devices, pipes in vented crawl spaces, water lines to garages, sheds and greenhouses, and supply lines along north-facing exterior walls.
Before the cold arrives
Disconnect hoses, shut off and drain outdoor taps if they have an inside valve, wrap exposed pipe with foam insulation and close crawl space vents for the duration. Make sure everyone in the house knows where the main shut-off is.
During the cold snap
Keep the heat at a steady temperature day and night, open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls, and let a cold tap drip at the fixture furthest from where water enters the house.
If a pipe freezes
Leave the tap open and warm the pipe slowly with a hair dryer, starting near the tap. Never use a torch or open flame. If the pipe is hidden in a wall or you can't reach it, get help.
When the thaw comes
Splits usually start leaking as the ice melts. Check the crawl space, garage and outdoor taps the next day. If a pipe has burst, shut off the main and see emergency plumbing.
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