Thawing frozen water pipes can result in hefty bills for homeowners

Morning North8:52Cautionary tale of frozen pipes and unexpected bills

A Sudbury man says make sure you document everything if the city comes to thaw your frozen pipes. Larry Bieronsky ended up with a hefty bill for work he was told would be covered by the city.

As the City of Greater Sudbury struggles to thaw frozen water pipes, one home owner in the city says people should pay close attention to where the problem is located.

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If the frozen section of pipe is under city property, homeowners are not supposed to foot the bill.

But Larry Bieronski said that's not the way it worked when his pipes froze a few years ago.

Bieronski said he didn't think he was on the hook for the bill.

“I said, ‘where is it frozen?’ [The contractor] said, ‘it's past the 60-foot mark ... it's on city property, so you are not liable’.”

Bieronski said he didn't think much more about it until, several weeks later, he came home to a flooded basement.

The pipe that was worked on was over-tightened and broke. Bieronski complained to the city, but said he was left to claim the damage on his own insurance.

Soon after, Bieronski received a $600 bill from the city for the initial thawing of his pipe — the service he was told he wouldn't have to pay for.

Bieronski’s said his experience is a cautionary tale for others.

“If [your pipes] freeze, document, document, document. Keep names and phone numbers, and just have all your records straight,” he said.

“If you do have someone come to thaw your line, video tape it, record it on your cell phone. Get the name of anyone you speak with from the city and contractors.”

In his case, Bieronski said he tried to fight the charge, but ended up paying the bill.

Now, Bieronski said he runs a small stream of water from one tap when it's cold.

Doing so adds about $20 dollars to his water bill, but after his experience dealing with frozen pipes, he said it's worth the expense.

The City of Greater Sudbury said it's not common to have disputes over where the service line is frozen.

"Most of the time it's fairly obvious," said infrastructure general manager Tony Cecutti, who added anyone with a concern should call the city.