Winter
Edmonton winters punish empty suites and tired heat.
Freeze bursts cluster when a suite sits vacant, a cabinet is on an outside wall, or a parkade line is under-heated. They are not the only winter leaks, and they are not mysterious.
Vacant suites need heat and a contact.
A dark suite with the heat down is a regular winter story. The corporation should know which units are empty and who can enter.
Cabinets on exterior walls.
Open the vanity doors during deep cold if that is the building’s practice. A closed cabinet can freeze a trap or a supply.
If a line has already split, treat it as active water.
Call, isolate if safe, and do not wait for a thaw to ‘see if it seals’.
Questions people ask
Does heat tape solve this?
Sometimes on a known exposed run, if it is installed correctly. It is not a building-wide promise.
Are pinholes a freeze problem?
Usually not. Pinholes are a year-round piping condition. Freeze bursts look different: a split, a lot of water, often after a cold snap.