Power
Water
Drainage
Natural Gas
Phone: 1-800-383-0834Email: mywater@epcor.com
Other contact information
The Information on this Page Applies to:
As the seasons change, there are home maintenance tasks you can do to protect your home. We've put together a seasonal home maintenance checklist; discover what to do in the spring to protect against summer storms, and fall tasks to help you prepare for winter.
Our checklist will help you schedule your yearly home maintenance to take care of your property and tips to help you do so safely.
You'll also find information on the space our crews need to work safely on equipment in your community throughout the seasons. Awareness can help protect your home and keep your family and our team safe.
As a homeowner, you're responsible for the trees and plants that might be growing too close to electrical equipment. These home maintenance tips can help keep you safe.
Below are things you can do in and around your home to help protect your property throughout the year. Our annual home maintenance checklist covers all four seasons including tasks to winterize your home and what you should know before planting this summer.
Activity
Check your backwater valve in spring and fall. Maintaining your backwater valve is key to helping protect your home from sewer backups. Learn more about how to maintain your backwater valve.
Outside water lines can freeze when frost goes below the waterline and water lines inside your home can freeze in extreme cold. As part of your fall home maintenance, help prepare your home for winter; turn off outside taps, remove connected hoses, and check to ensure pipes are insulated. During the winter months check your pipes when temperatures get really low. Learn more about how to prevent your pipes from freezing.
If you have a tree or shrub that has grown too close to power lines, do not prune them without getting help first. If trees are near the overhead service line to your home, call us. We can shut off your power so you can work safely. We do this free-of-charge.
If your tree is growing close to the power lines that run from pole-to-pole, stay 7 metres away and hire a professional arborist to trim it for you. An arborist will have the experience and tools to do it safely. Learn more about how to safely prune your trees or how to request a tree trimming.
If you are planting anything in your yard, contact Utility Safety Partners before you dig. This free service will mark your utility lines to help prevent damage to underground lines and possible injury. You should call before you dig for any project, like building a fence or deck.
Do not dig near power poles, transformers, and switching cubicles. There are grids installed underground up to one metre from transformers and cubicles - digging near them is not safe. As trees and plants grow, they can get too close to power lines and cause a safety risk. Our crews also need space to work on this equipment safely. Learn more about clearance requirements around safety equipment.
The curb stop (CC) valve, found on your driveway or front yard, must be clear and accessible so we can access it during an emergency or to turn water off per your request. Make sure plants, bushes, trees or landscaping décor don’t cover the CC valve, and do not park a vehicle on top of it. If your curb stop valve raises above ground level during spring thaw contact us to restore it so that it's not a safety hazard. Learn more about the CC valve.
In Fall, ensure you store your rain barrel safely for the winter months to protect your home from flooding in the spring. Drain your barrel and store it upside down so it does not collect snow over the winter months. Ideally you should keep your barrel in a shed or garage as barrels left outside in the winter may crack.
Learn more about maintaining your rain barrel over the spring and summer.
Gutter cleaning is important in the fall. Leaves and debris can collect in the eavestroughs and clog them. If water can't run through your gutters and downspouts, it can spill over, causing pooling next to your foundation. This may lead to basement flooding. Plan to clean your eavestroughs in spring and fall. If you notice leaks or damage, repair or replace them as soon as possible.
When cleaning out your gutters, be mindful of nearby overhead power lines. Always make sure you have safe clearance for your ladder before you start the job.
Window well maintenance is important to protect your basement from flooding. Just like your gutters, you want to clear out leaves, dirt and debris from your window wells that may prevent your window wells from properly draining. This should be done as part of your spring and fall home maintenance and after major weather events in the summer.
Check for any water leaks on your property as part of your regular maintenance. Homeowner responsibilities include fixing problems with water fixtures, plumbing and lines within your home and property, including the pipe connected to the water meter. Your water utility company is responsible for the water meter itself and pipes leading up to your property line.
If there's a problem with your plumbing, you might need to shut off the water coming to your home. Get familiar with the water pipes on your property, know how to use your water shut off valve and contact us if you need to shut the water off at your property line.
A few safety tips to help you keep safe while working to maintain your property.
You should contact Utility Safety Partners before you dig for any project, from planting to building a fence or deck. This free service will come and mark your utility lines before you dig. Marking the lines will help prevent damaging water, electricity, drainage, and natural gas lines. Learn more about safety and clearance requirements around power equipment.
If you're using a ladder to tackle your home maintenance checklist, be extra careful around overhead power lines. Ladder safety is always important but working around power lines creates another hazard. When cleaning gutters, trimming trees, or putting up Christmas lights, look for overhead lines first. Know how to identify types of power lines & clearance requirements. Never work too close to power lines.
We've included a list of things you can do around your neighborhood to help protect your property and keep people working in your community safe.
Catch basins are curbside drains that move stormwater and snowmelt into the city drainage system. Without them, the streets would flood. Help keep water moving and clear debris, ice, and snow from the catch basin near your house. In the winter, dig a little trench through the snow to the basin to help snowmelt drain. If your catch basin isn't draining, it could be frozen or damaged. Call our 24/7 emergency line.
Transformers are those green or grey boxes on some front yards next to the sidewalk. They help route power to your home. If you have one on your property, you must make sure it's not blocked. If the power is out, our crews may need to access it to get power back on in your neighborhood. To work safely, our crews need room and solid footing. The area needs to be clear of trees, shrubs, decorative rock, or other landscaping features. The easier they can do their work, the sooner they can get the electricity back on.
A fire hydrant on property is one of your homeowner responsibilities. Fire hydrants need space around them for fire crews to work. Do not park in front of a fire hydrant. Ensure there aren't trees, plants, fences, or other landscaping features too close to it. Fire hydrants need to be inspected each year to make sure they're working properly. Learn how EPCOR can help you with hydrant maintenance programs.
If you see any downed trees on power lines in your community report it to EPCOR immediately, and if you're worried about a tree growing too close to a power line, you can request a tree trimming. Stay at least 7 metres away from the power lines because electricity can arc.
Water meter readers need a clear path to the water meter on your property so they can read it safely. In the winter, clearing a snow path for the meter readers is one of your homeowner responsibilities. That includes keeping your driveway and walkways cleared of ice and snow and making a path through the snowy yard. Don't block the meter with a fence, deck, shed, or other landscaping.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec quam sem, viverra eu interdum ut, pulvinar et nulla. Maecenas volutpat nec justo et pharetra. Aliquam vel lacinia nulla. Maecenas congue ex vestibulum dolor egestas, blandit rutrum felis cursus.
If your tree is growing close to the secondary power lines that run from pole-to-pole, hire a professional arborist to trim it for you. An arborist will have the experience and tools to do it safely.
Stay at least 7 metres away from the power lines because electricity can arc. If you're worried about a tree growing too close to a power line, you can request a tree trimming. Learn more about how to safely prune your trees
If you are planting anything, contact Alberta-One-Call before you dig. This free service will come and mark your utility lines before you dig. Marking the lines will help prevent damaging water, electricity, drainage, and natural gas lines. You should call before you dig for any project, like building a fence or deck.
Do not dig or plant near power poles, transformers, and switching cubicles. There are grids installed underground up to one metre from transformers and cubicles. Digging near them is not safe. Our crews also need space to work on this equipment safely. As trees and plants grow, they can get too close and cause a safety risk. Learn more about clearance requirements around safety equipment
Content here
Gutter cleaning is important in the fall. Leaves and debris can collect in the eavestroughs and clog them. If water can't run through your gutters and downspouts, it can spill over, causing pooling next to your foundation. This may lead to basement flooding. Plan to clean your eavestroughs now and again in spring. If you notice leaks or damage, repair or replace them as soon as possible.
When cleaning out your guters, be mindful of nearby overhead power lines. Always make sure you have safe clearance for your ladder before you start the job. Learn more about eavestrough maintenance
If you're using a ladder to tackle your fall and winter home maintenance checklist, be extra careful around overhead power lines. Ladder safety is always important but working around power lines creates another hazard. When cleaning your gutters, trimming trees, or even putting up Christmas lights, look for overhead lines first.
If you don' have clearance, stop what you're doing. Never work on a ladder too close to power lines. Know how to identify your power lines
Catch basins are those drains on the curb that move stormwater and snowmelt into the city drainage system. Without them, the streets would flood. Help keep the water moving by clearing debris, ice, and snow from the catch basin near your house. In the winter, dig a little trench through the snow to the basin to help snowmelt drain. Watch our video on why it's important to keep catch basins clear.
If your catch basin isn't draining, it could be frozen or damaged. Call our 24/7 emergency line.Learn more about catch basins and what they do
Transformers are those green or grey boxes on some front yards next to the sidewalk. They help route power to your home.
If you have one on your property, you must make sure it's not blocked. If the power is out, our crews may need to access it to get power back on in your neighborhood. To work safely, our crews need room and solid footing. The area needs to be clear of trees, shrubs, decorative rock, or other landscaping features. The easier they can do their work, the sooner they can get the electricity back on. Learn more about clearance requirements for power equipment
A fire hydrant on property is one of your homeowner responsibilities. Fire hydrants need space around them for fire crews to work. Do not park in front of a fire hydrant. Ensure there aren't trees, plants, fences, or other landscaping features too close to it. They also need to be inspected each year to make sure they're working properly. Include this fire hydrant maintenance on your seasonal home maintenance checklist.
Our water meter readers need a clear path to the water meter on property so they can read it safely. In the winter, clearing a snow path for the meter readers is one of your homeowner responsibilities. That includes keeping your driveway and walkways cleared of ice and snow and making a path through the snowy yard. Don't block the meter with a fence, deck, shed, or other landscaping.
Our water meter readers need a clear path to the water meter on property so they can read it safely. In the winter, clearing a snow path for the meter readers is one of your homeowner responsibilities. That includes keeping your driveway and walkways cleared of ice and snow and making a path through the snowy yard. Don't block the meter with a fence, deck, shed, or other landscaping. Read more about meter reader safety
Homeowner responsibilities include fixing problems with water fixtures, plumbing, and lines within your home and property. That includes the pipe connected to the water meter. Your water utility company is responsible for the water meter itself and pipes leading up to your property line.
If there's a problem with your plumbing, you might need to shut off the water coming to your home. You can shut off the water supply in most homes using a valve located on the waterline leading to your water meter. Knowing where it is ahead of time can help prevent water damage if something goes wrong. If you want to shut the water off at your property line, contact us. Learn more about water shutoff valves
Outside water lines can freeze when frost goes below the waterline. Inside your home, they can freeze in extreme cold or if there's a draft. Checking your pipes should be part of your seasonal home maintenance checklist this winter.
Remove your hoses from outside taps and turn off the taps. Keep your pipes from freezing inside by keeping the heat on, even when away from home. Make sure your outdoor water lines, and any plumbing on an exterior wall, is insulated. Let the water flow through your taps now and then, especially ones you don't use often. If you're going out of town, have your house sitter run the water through the lines to help prevent freezing pipes.Learn more about preventing frozen pipes
