Hello wintertime here in Colorado. The first dip in temperatures helps us realize we are truly in a cold climate. While it may help you get into the mood of the holidays, it can also wreak havoc on your pipes if you aren’t prepared.
If a pipe isn’t properly insulated, or is subjected to severe cold like we’ve been getting here this week, there’s a possibility of it freezing. When water freezes within a pipe, it expands the pipe. A pipe typically will not burst where it freezes. Instead it blocks the pipe, causing water pressure to build up downstream from the ice blockage, somewhere between the blockage and a closed faucet. If enough pressure builds up, it will burst the pipe, allowing water to spill out. If you are home and know the burst occurred, you can shut the water supply off quickly, and begin water damage cleanup and extraction immediately. However if you aren’t home and don’t realize the breakage occurred for several hours, or worse, several days, you may be in for a huge mess.
Once you discover the problem, start by shutting off the water supply as quickly as possible.
Also turn off power to any electrical outlets and appliances in the affected area. Only then is it safe to start assessing the damage.
If you end up with several inches of water in the room, instead of trying to remove the water and clean up the damage yourself, in may be time to talk with your insurance company about using a water restoration company. A water restoration contractor can help you assess the damage you can see, and the damage you can’t.
While it’s easy to see water stains on the wallboard, or drapes and furniture damaged by water, its what you can’t see that can cause you the most damage.
- Damage to the structure of your home
- Mold caused by sitting water
- Damage behind the walls, under carpeting, or within the ceiling
While you might not see this type of damage immediately, it may be there and will continue to spread until it’s fixed. What started out as a relatively small problem could easily snowball to a potentially devastating problem.
