Calgary’s warm-up brings burst pipes at businesses, homes and schools

Homes, businesses and schools are struggling with a swing in temperatures that led to water main breaks throughout the city. Mason DePatie reports.

Warmer weather is being welcomed by many Calgarians, but the conditions have created some major problems for others.

Friday morning, emergency crews were called to a clothing consignment store on 37 Street S.W. after a pipe burst inside the business, causing a flood.

The mess was cleaned up by 5 a.m. but means the freeze-thaw cycle is taking a toll on the city’s water infrastructure.

Ten water main breaks have happened in all four quadrants of the city since Thursday.

“Sometimes, during the really cold spells, some water main breaks can actually be somewhat hidden because they freeze as soon as they come to the surface. So when it starts to melt, we can sometimes see a lot more and they’ll get called in from residents,” said Sclater Paterson, leader of operational performance with water services at the City of Calgary.

One of those was in Abbeydale, where repairs were ongoing as of 6:30 p.m. Friday.

In total, 30 homes were affected by the service disruption.

Richard Cook came home to find 15 centimetres of water in his basement.

“We left for a couple of hours yesterday and got back, went downstairs and the house was flooded,” said Cook.

“It’s quite inconvenient; no water and stuff.”

Cook was able to salvage some of his belongings while an assessment is underway.

Residents were told water should be back on in the area by Saturday morning.

Paterson suggests people have a 72-hour kit in the event their home is impacted.

“That’s always a good thing to do,” said Paterson.

The incidents are affecting dozens of homes, businesses and a few schools.

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) in a statement said a couple of its schools have been impacted, but the institutions have been able to remain open by moving classes to unaffected areas.

One of those schools, Capitol Hill School in northwest Calgary has been dealing with a break since Tuesday.

“They are making the best of the situation,” said a spokesperson.

“All students and staff are safe and classes are continuing as scheduled. They have water bottles available to drink as needed, hand washing stations installed in washrooms, and hand sanitizer and wipes in all classrooms.”

Attic Rain Issues

Chris Rayner, general manager of Superior Roofing, has seen an influx in customers needing attics repaired due to the recent change in weather.

“Attics are overheating right now,” said Rayner.

“When the attic overheats, it builds condensation and the heat hits the decking and it forms ice.”

His guidance is to pop your head into your attic when it’s cold and if you see ice, call a roofing company.

When he arrives at homes, one issue he notices is brown dots on the ceiling or drywall hanging, which hot air can get into.

“It’s always different; we usually like to eliminate everything,” said Rayner.

“When the weather changes so drastically you’re going to get water coming through if your attic is not insulated.”

He says repairs to fix attics can cost anywhere from $200 to $5,000.