With winter around the corner, the municipality is reminding residents to turn on their bleeders to prevent frozen waterlines.
A bleeder is a valve in the main waterline that runs a small amount of water throughout the winter months. For homes without bleeders, it is also possible to just run a tap in the laundry room or bathroom with a low output.
Bleeders or taps should be run from mid-November until April, with a flow rate about the diameter of a pencil. The running water will ensure waterlines don’t freeze throughout the winter.
Last winter, more than 30 waterlines froze, creating additional work for the municipality and an inconvenience for homeowners.
According to Bruce Thompson, director of operations, the majority of the homes with waterline freeze ups weren’t running bleeders or they had turned their bleeder off and freezing followed shortly after.
It’s best practise to run a bleeder as long as there is frost on the ground. This is especially important when snow and surface ice start melting, because when snow melts its insulating properties are reduced, allowing frost to quickly drop deeper into the ground.
Residents who run a bleeder or tap in their homes receive a credit for the extra water they use throughout the winter. To receive the credit, residents just have to call the municipality’s utility clerk. The number is 780-852-3356.
Thompson asks that anyone with pipes that are prone to freezing call the utility clerk, get signed up for the credit and start running their taps or bleeders next month.
For further information or questions about bleeders, residents are encouraged to contact the operations department at 780-852-3040.
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
