Colorado winters are beautiful but brutal on your plumbing. When temperatures plunge below freezing, the water in your pipes can freeze, expand, and cause pipes to burst – leading to thousands of dollars in water damage. As your trusted Aurora plumber, Grig Plumbing wants to help you protect your home this winter.
Why Frozen Pipes Are Dangerous
When water freezes, it expands by about 9%. This expansion creates tremendous pressure inside your pipes – up to 2,000 pounds per square inch. Even strong copper and PVC pipes can rupture under this pressure.
A burst pipe can release hundreds of gallons of water into your home within hours, damaging floors, walls, furniture, and personal belongings. The emergency plumbing services at Grig Plumbing respond quickly to burst pipe emergencies throughout the Denver metro area.
Identify Vulnerable Pipes
Pipes most at risk for freezing include those in unheated areas like garages, crawl spaces, and attics, pipes running through exterior walls, outdoor hose bibs and sprinkler lines, and pipes in cabinets against exterior walls.
A professional plumbing inspection can identify vulnerable areas specific to your home.
Winterization Tips
Insulate exposed pipes: Use foam pipe insulation on any pipes in unheated areas. Pay special attention to pipes near exterior walls, in the attic, or in the garage.
Disconnect outdoor hoses: Before the first freeze, disconnect all garden hoses. Shut off the water supply to outdoor faucets if possible and open the faucet to drain any remaining water.
Seal air leaks: Check for gaps around pipes where they enter your home. Cold air blowing on pipes significantly increases freezing risk. Seal any gaps with caulk or spray foam.
Keep cabinet doors open: On extremely cold nights, open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls to let warm air circulate around the pipes.
Let faucets drip: When temperatures drop below 20°F, letting faucets drip slightly keeps water moving and reduces freezing risk.
What To Do If Pipes Freeze
If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out, you may have a frozen pipe. Never use an open flame to thaw pipes. Instead, use a hair dryer or space heater, or wrap pipes with towels soaked in hot water.
If you can't locate the frozen section or if a pipe has burst, call a Denver metro area plumber immediately. Turn off the main water supply to prevent flooding.
Professional Winterization Services
Grig Plumbing offers comprehensive winterization services for homes in Aurora, Denver, Centennial, Parker, and surrounding Colorado communities. Our services include pipe insulation installation, outdoor faucet winterization, sprinkler system blowouts, and whole-home plumbing inspections.
Contact us today to schedule your winterization service before the cold weather hits. Prevention is always cheaper than emergency repairs!