How to get your home ready for winter in Ontario

Getting a home ready for an Ontario winter is mostly about water and heat: keeping pipes from freezing, letting melt drain away from the house, and making sure the furnace and alarms work. Clean the eavestroughs, shut off and drain the outdoor taps, find your main water shut-off, have the furnace serviced and change its filter, test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and seal the drafts around windows and doors.

The checklist at a glance

Prices are before HST and come from our cost guides, each with its own sources and date.

Outside

Eavestroughs and downspouts

Clear out leaves, twigs and nests so water can drain instead of collecting and freezing. Run a hose down each downspout to make sure it flows. Check that every downspout empties onto the ground away from the foundation. In Toronto, downspouts must be disconnected from the city sewer; low-income seniors and people with disabilities can get up to $500 back for the work.

If you can't do it safely from a ladder, hire it out. Most homes need cleaning twice a year: in late spring, and in late fall after the leaves are down.

Outdoor taps, hoses and pools

The City of London's advice: check whether each outdoor tap is frost-free (if the knob sticks straight out from the house, it is). Whether it is or not, turn off the water to outdoor taps from the shut-off inside, open the tap to drain it, then close it for the season. Disconnect every garden hose: a hose left attached can freeze the tap and the hose with it.

Close the pool, drain outdoor pumps and store them somewhere dry. Winterize the irrigation system following its manual, or call the company that installed it.

Rain barrels

Disconnect them from the eavestrough for the winter. If you can't store them inside or under cover, turn them upside down. Reconnect the downspout so winter melt drains away from the foundation.

Vents, meters and the roof

Keep the furnace and water heater vents, air intakes and gas and hydro meters clear of snow all winter, so air can flow and the meters can be read. If you see heavy ice building up on the roof, have a professional clear it rather than going up yourself (Tarion).

Snow

Book a snow removal contract before the first snowfall if you plan to hire one, and get the trigger depth, the area covered and salting in writing. Our snow removal guide covers prices, contracts, snow blowers and city programs for seniors.

Water and pipes

Find your main water shut-off

If a pipe bursts, turning off the main water supply fast is what limits the damage. The valve has a wheel or a lever, and may be in the basement, a crawl space or outside (City of London). Find it now, check that it turns, and show everyone in the house where it is.

Stop pipes from freezing

The City of Toronto's advice:

• Seal drafts around windows, doors, vents, wiring and pipes.
• Insulate exposed pipes in the basement, crawl space, garage and attic. Foam pipe covers are cheap and easy to fit.
• Keep areas with water pipes above 8°C, especially near the water meter.
• Keep the garage door closed if there are pipes in the garage.
• Keep the home warm overnight and when you're away. If you control the thermostat, raise it by one or two degrees on very cold nights.
• When nights drop below -15°C, you can run a pencil-thin stream of water from a tap on a vulnerable pipe. You pay for the water, so keep it for the coldest nights.

If a pipe freezes

1. Open the cold tap in the basement, ideally the laundry tub, so water can flow as the ice melts.
2. Warm the pipe with a hair dryer, a heating pad or warm towels. Never leave a heater unattended.
3. Never use a torch, propane heater or any open flame. They are a fire and carbon monoxide hazard.
4. Thawing can take one to six hours. If you still have no water, call a licensed plumber.

If a pipe has burst, turn off the main water supply right away.

The sump pump

Pour a pail of water into the pit and watch the pump switch on and empty it. If you have a battery backup, check the battery: they last about 3 to 5 years. A frozen or blocked discharge line can damage the pump, so make sure the outside end is clear. Our sump pump guide covers types, backups and city subsidies.

Heating

Service the furnace and change the filter

Have a licensed technician service the furnace every one to two years (Enercare), ideally before the heating season. Natural Resources Canada says to change the furnace filter if it has been more than three months, or as often as your furnace's manual says. Clean the HRV if you have one and wash or replace its filter (Tarion).

Keep furniture and rugs off heat registers, baseboard heaters and air returns so air can move. If your furnace is around 15 years old or more, our furnace guide covers what a replacement costs and the rebates available.

Set the thermostat

Natural Resources Canada suggests 20°C when you're home and awake, and 17°C when you're asleep or out. A smart or programmable thermostat does this for you. Lowering the setting by 2 to 3°C is one of the cheapest ways to save on heating, which is about 61% of the energy an average Canadian home uses.

Safety alarms

Carbon monoxide alarms

A home needs a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm if it has a fuel-burning appliance (such as a furnace, water heater or stove that burns natural gas, propane, oil or wood), a fireplace or an attached garage. From 1 January 2026 the rule also covers a home heated by a fuel-burning appliance outside it, such as one in a utility shed. Since 1 January 2026, Ontario requires a CO alarm outside each sleeping area and on every storey, including storeys without bedrooms. Owners are responsible in their own homes, and landlords in rental homes. Buy an alarm with the mark of a recognized testing agency such as CSA, ULC or Intertek (ETL); hardwired, battery and plug-in alarms are all allowed, and combined smoke and CO alarms are common.

Test CO alarms monthly with the test button and replace the batteries every year. If a CO alarm sounds, get everyone out right away and call 9-1-1 from outside. Signs of CO poisoning include headaches, nausea, dizziness, confusion and drowsiness.

Smoke alarms

Every Ontario home must have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas. Test them monthly and replace any alarm older than 10 years (City of London). Not having working smoke alarms can bring a fine.

Inside: humidity, air and drafts

Humidity

Tarion puts healthy indoor humidity in winter at 30 to 45%. A hygrometer from a hardware store tells you where you are. If it's too high, run the bathroom fan and kitchen range hood when you shower and cook, and use a dehumidifier. If it's too low, wood can shrink and finishes can suffer, so use a portable humidifier.

Drafts

Check the caulking and weatherstripping around windows and doors, and seal any gaps. Close curtains and blinds at night to hold heat in, and open them on sunny mornings to let it in. Set ceiling fans to turn clockwise in winter to push warm air down from the ceiling (Natural Resources Canada).

If you'll be away

• Keep the heat on. The City of Toronto says to keep areas with pipes above 8°C, including when you're away.
• Turn off the main water supply to lower the risk of a flood, and set the water heater to vacation mode or turn it down (City of London).
• Read your home insurance policy before you go. It may say how often someone must check the home while you're away, and what isn't covered if the home sits empty. Ask your insurer if you're unsure.
• Arrange for snow clearing, and for someone to check the house.

Free and paid help

iSources: Enbridge Gas, Home Winterproofing Program (income limits change every year); City of Toronto, Mandatory Downspout Disconnection.