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In Denver CO, plumbing should be prepped for any weather, which means insulating pipes, dripping faucets if necessary, and ensuring your home remains warm enough to combat freezing weather. In Denver CO, plumbing is susceptible to the effects of the weather and temperatures outside because even the walls are not always enough to keep the pipes completely above freezing. A common problem in areas where winter temperatures oscillate between freezing and not freezing is frozen pipes. In Denver CO, plumbing does not suddenly rise up out of the ground under your house and stay under the floor or in the interior walls; the pipes run through exterior walls as well, plus there will probably be faucets outside your home for garden hoses and irrigation systems like drip emitters. Exterior walls contain pipes even in upper stories in the home. That means that freezing temperatures can play havoc if your walls are not insulated correctly, or if you leave for a vacation and do not take extra precautions. If you have exposed exterior walls that do not have adequate insulation, those pipes can freeze if the temperature falls, and that can create a chain reaction of plumbing problems that no one needs. Freezing is a problem with plumbing in Denver CO because when water turns to ice, it actually expands. The next time you make ice cubes in a tray, notice how the ice cubes can stick up a little bit higher than where the original water level was when you filled the trays. In pipes, this is a real problem because there is no room to move -- the entire section will have ice in it, straining and cracking the pipes. Any weak spots or existing small holes in the pipe that been unknown will now be very apparent. Those spots will break, and once the water starts flowing again, you will have yourself a leak if not an outright burst pipe. Water, even in a thin stream, can do some pretty amazing damage. In Denver CO, plumbing that has frozen will not burst automatically. When the water is still mostly frozen, you will get a trickle, and you should use that to your advantage -- it means you have a little time. If you find that, after cold weather, there is no water running out of your faucet or only a little water, and your neighbors are not having any problems, open all faucets in your home. Old House Web notes that you should also turn off the water to your home completely because then, when the water starts running again, if there is a problem with the pipes, you will not have water continuously entering the plumbing in your home and inundating it. You will only have to deal with what is already in your pipes. Also keep the cabinets in your home open when you find a possibly frozen pipe; the warm air inside your home will only work to your advantage. Call a plumber if you are having trouble finding the section of pipe that might be frozen. If you have some faucets that work, you can deduce where the problem likely is, but if you are not sure, call a plumber to help safely find and thaw the pipes. Remember that sink pipes can freeze, too. You will have to use a heat lamp or hair dryer to thaw the section carefully. When the job is done, have a plumber from Plumb Pros Inc inspect your home. Sometimes there can be damaged sections that are just so small that they are not appearing to cause a problem, and you do not really see any water damage or hear dripping until major damage has been done inside the walls. Having a plumber give your home the all-clear is a relief.
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