DENVER (KDVR) – Denver firefighters had a busy Saturday responding to hundreds of calls related to burst pipes in buildings and homes following the arctic freeze.
“As the water sits in there it expands, then when it gets cold — it bursts the pipe,” Mike Stokes, a Plumbing Technician with Plumbline Services said.
Stokes said in the past few days, 100% of his calls have been responding to burst pipes.
“Our plumbers have been out and about for hours and hours over the last three days,” Stokes said.
Stokes said when pipes burst, it can happen quickly and it’s important to do everything to can to keep the pipes warm.
He said keeping a drip on the water and opening cabinet and sink doors to allow the heat in can also help.
“Once you hear something or see water pooling up get that water turned off right away,” Stokes said.
He mentioned it’s important to know where your main water shut-off is in your home in case of emergencies.
“It was shocking,” homeowner Lisa Culver said. “It was loud and hissing.”
Culver and Mike Franquemont have owned their home in Highlands Ranch for ten years. They had a pipe burst in the basement Saturday that Plumbline Services responded to.
“I noticed what appeared to look like a lake. I called for Lisa and she came down and shut off the water,” Franquemont said.
Firefighters across the city were also busy. The Denver Fire Department responded to hundreds of calls, most of which were about water problems.
Both West Metro Fire and South Metro Fire also had busy days. West Metro Fire told FOX31 and Channel 2 on Saturday they had 40 calls of flooding since 7 a.m. SMF stated they had seen 82 water-related calls on Saturday.
The University of Colorado Boulder also had some issues with busted pipes:
“Early Thursday morning we experienced a power interruption that caused a main boiler on campus to go off-line. As a result of losing stream pressure for a few hours, approximately 10 buildings throughout campus were impacted with frozen pipes and coils. Facilities Management acted immediately upon discovering the problem and mitigation work is actively taking place throughout the holiday weekend. We anticipate all buildings to be open and fully operational by the time students return from winter break.”
Be sure to avoid being one of these agencies’ next calls and take the proper pipe-protecting steps going forward.