Outside taps first
Disconnect every garden hose, drain it and store it. If your outdoor tap is a frost-free model, leaving the hose on holds water in the long barrel, which is exactly what it was built to avoid. If it is an older style with a separate inside valve, close that valve, then crack the exterior tap and leave it that way so the stub of pipe can drain. If that inside valve has a little bleed cap, hold a pail under it and unscrew it.
Find the cold spots
Walk the basement on a cold windy day with your hand out. Where you feel a draft at the rim joist, along a sill plate, or around a dryer vent, there is a pipe at risk if one runs nearby. Seal gaps with foam or caulk, and add insulation to the rim joist cavities. Pipe sleeves on exposed lines near exterior walls help too.
- Kitchen sinks on outside walls: open the cabinet doors during cold snaps.
- Bathrooms over garages: keep the garage door shut and check the ceiling insulation.
- Crawlspaces: close vents for winter and insulate the walls.
- Cantilevered floors: check that the overhang is insulated and sealed.
Seasonal buildings
Cottages, trailers and outbuildings with plumbing need a full drain-down: shut the supply, open every tap, drain the water heater, blow lines out with compressed air if possible, and add plumbing antifreeze to traps. Do not use automotive antifreeze.
If you travel
Set the thermostat low but keep it running. In a deep freeze, have a neighbour walk through every second day. Consider shutting the main valve while you are away so a burst cannot run for days. Some smart leak sensors and auto-shut-off valves can alert you remotely.
Know your main valve
Walk each member of the household to the main valve for a practice turn. Our note on the main water shut-off explains how to find and test yours. If a pipe does freeze, see dealing with frozen pipes or call for frozen pipe thawing.