Before the first frost: protect your water meter, outdoor taps, pumps and rainwater tank

Water expands when it freezes. Inside a pipe, a tap, a water meter or a pump casing, it has nowhere to go: the part splits. Most of the time you only notice when it thaws, as water starts running where it shouldn’t. Belgian water utilities, from SWDE to De Watergroep, publish very similar advice every winter. Here it is, together with what we see in the field.

Before anything else, find the main stop valve, usually next to the meter, and check that it turns. CILE recommends checking before winter that the stop valve works and that the installation can be drained completely. A seized valve discovered on the day of a leak costs precious minutes.

This is the most exposed point. Close the indoor valve that feeds the garden tap, then open the outdoor tap to drain the pipe: with no water in it, it cannot freeze. Empty and store hoses, spray guns and watering timers. A buried irrigation system should be drained too, following the installer’s instructions.

SWDE and CILE ask you to keep the temperature above 0 °C wherever pipes run. In a cellar, crawl space or unheated garage, block cold air inlets while keeping the ventilation you need, especially if there is a gas appliance.

Wrap the meter and pipes in insulation that stays dry: polyurethane foam, polystyrene or ready-made pipe lagging. The utilities advise against fabric, blankets, newspaper or glass wool: once damp, they freeze along with the pipe. If your meter sits in an outdoor meter pit, insulate the inside of the pit and make sure the lid closes properly.

A surface pump stays full of water, even when it is off: in a cold room, it is the first thing to break. Rainwater tank, well or irrigation pump: if you don’t use it in winter, switch it off, close the valves, drain the pump casing through its drain plug and empty the suction line where possible. A portable pump should be stored somewhere frost-free.

A booster set that supplies the house from a well or rainwater tank cannot be drained: it has to be kept frost-free. Insulate the room, the pump, the pressure vessel and the pipes, and consider a heating cable or a small frost-protection heater suited to the room and properly installed.

With a sump pump, the weak point is often the discharge pipe where it runs above ground: once frozen, it blocks the outflow. Check it and give the pump a test run before winter.

Main stop valve: find it, turn it, make sure everyone knows where it is.

Outdoor taps: close the indoor valve, open the tap, leave the pipe empty. Put hoses and timers away.

Meter and pipes: insulate with material that stays dry, stop cold draughts without removing ventilation.

Seasonal pumps: switch off, drain, store frost-free. Pumps used in winter: insulate them and protect the room.

Rainwater tank: keep the overflow clear and the lid firmly closed; check that the pipes and pump connected to it are protected.

Long absence: several utilities advise closing the main stop valve and letting the pipes drain.

Close the main stop valve, then open a tap further along so water can run out as it thaws. Warm the pipe gradually with a hair dryer, starting from the valve end. Never use a flame, blowtorch or heat gun: as De Watergroep and CILE point out, plastic pipes can melt. Thaw slowly, without overheating any one spot.

If the meter or the pipe before it is frozen, contact your water utility: it is their equipment. If a leak appears, keep the water off, mop up and have it repaired before turning the water back on.

In Wallonia, the general water distribution regulation states that the owner and the user are responsible for damage to the meter, including frost damage, unless the utility made a mistake in designing or installing the connection. In Brussels, Vivaqua’s general terms contain a similar rule. In Flanders, terms and rates vary from one utility to another: check with yours.

We install, service and repair surface pumps, booster sets, sump pumps and rainwater tanks throughout Belgium. An autumn visit is the time to drain what needs draining, insulate what stays in service and check the valves. And if the frost has already done damage, our emergency service can be reached 24/7 on +32 4 325 10 02.