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Sent by a restoration contractor, under their own name and logo. Who it is for: Apartment and commercial property teams in cold climates. When to send it: Send it in September or October, before the first hard freeze.

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EMERGENCY GUIDE

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Freeze & Burst Pipe Checklist

A burst pipe can run for days in an empty building. Most of the work that prevents it happens in the fall.

Prevent the freeze

• Book the winter review of each building at least 6 to 10 weeks before the first hard freeze.
• Insulate exposed pipe and pipe in attics, crawlspaces, exterior walls and unheated spaces, or run approved heat tracing on the water-filled runs
• Any heat tape, heat tracing or supplemental heating product has to be UL-listed (tested and listed by Underwriters Laboratories) for that specific purpose. Heat tape that is not listed for sprinkler piping is a fire risk on a sprinkler line
• Common guidance puts the floor for an unoccupied building at 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and 40 degrees for any area holding pipes or systems that can freeze. Neither is your obligation. Your policy is. If your property form names no temperature at all, the test is whether you did your best to maintain heat. Read your own wording before you pick a setpoint
• Know your policy's freezing exclusion. Standard commercial property forms exclude freeze damage from plumbing, heating and air conditioning unless you did your best to maintain heat, or drained the equipment and shut off the supply. Fire protection systems are usually treated differently. Confirm your own wording with your broker before the season and keep a record of how you winterized
• Seal drafts near plumbing
• Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm air reaches the pipes
• Drain and shut off exterior hose bibs and irrigation lines before the first freeze
• Let faucets drip on the coldest nights

Watch closely

• Mechanical rooms, attic and exterior-wall runs, sprinkler lines, rooftop units, exposed risers, and vacant or corner units, especially after a power outage drops the heat
• Confirm where the main shut-off is, and confirm the person on call can find it without a phone call
• Install freeze or low-temperature alarms and remote sensors in at-risk zones, tied to someone who will respond