While Colorado is famous for its gorgeous snow-capped peaks and world-class winter sports, sub-zero winter temperatures present a severe threat that many homeowners are unprepared to handle from a mechanical and plumbing standpoint. Extended periods of freezing weather can freeze standing water inside pipes, leading to high-pressure line ruptures and catastrophic indoor flooding.
Unlike warmer states, Colorado's freezing winters mean that pipes in crawlspaces, basements, and unheated exterior walls are highly vulnerable. When water freezes, it expands with over 25,000 PSI of pressure. This extreme force easily splits copper, brass, and plastic piping. When the ice thaws, pressurized water rushes out, causing thousands of dollars in structural and cosmetic damage.
To protect your property from the cost and headache of water damage, follow this comprehensive guide to winterizing your plumbing systems before the freezing weather hits.
Why Pipes Freeze: The Thermodynamics of Water Expansion
During a Colorado winter storm, temperatures can plummet far below freezing within a few hours.
- The Freeze: Standing water in pipes exposed to unheated drafts freezes, beginning with a skin of ice that grows inward.
- The Pressure Build-up: As the ice block grows, it acts as a plug. The liquid water trapped between the ice blockage and closed faucets is subjected to extreme pressure. It is this hydrostatic pressure—not the expansion of the ice itself at the point of freezing—that typically causes pipes to rupture.
Outdoor Winterization Steps: Protect Your Spigots & Sprinklers
Your outdoor systems are direct thermal conduits into your home's interior piping:
- Disconnect Garden Hoses: Never leave hoses attached to outdoor spigots during winter. Water trapped inside the hose will freeze and travel backward into the faucet body, bursting the pipe inside the wall.
- Drain Outdoor Spigots (Hose Bibs): Shut off the indoor valve that controls water flow to outdoor faucets (typically located in the basement or utility room). Once shut off, open the outdoor spigot completely to let residual water drain out. Leave the valve open all winter.
- Blow Out Sprinkler Systems: Colorado soils freeze deep. Professional blow-outs use compressed air to clear water from all underground irrigation lines and backflow assemblies, protecting them from cracking.
Indoor Prevention: Protect Pipes During Cold Snaps
During extreme cold snaps (single digits or sub-zero), implement active protection measures:
- Drip Your Faucets: Keep a slow drip of water running from faucets connected to pipes running along exterior walls. Moving water is less likely to freeze, and keeping the faucet open releases the hydrostatic pressure if ice does start to form.
- Open Cabinet Doors: Keep kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors open to allow warm air from your home's heating system to circulate around the plumbing under sinks.
- Maintain Home Temperature: If you are traveling or evacuating for winter vacations, never turn your heating system off. Keep your thermostat set to at least 55°F to ensure walls and crawlspaces stay warm.
The Most Critical Step: Locate Your Main Shut-off Valve
If a pipe does freeze and rupture, your immediate priority is to stop the water flow before it floods your living space.
- Where is it? In Colorado, to prevent the main water meter and valve from freezing, they are located indoors—typically in the basement near the front foundation wall, inside a crawlspace, or within a main utility closet.
- Test it now: Ensure you know how to locate and operate the main valve. Turn the wheel clockwise or flip the lever 90 degrees to verify it moves freely. If it is rusted shut, have our team replace it before the winter freeze arrives.
Trust Plumbing Company Colorado for Winterization Services
If you need help installing frost-free hose bibs, insulating exposed piping in unheated crawlspaces, or repairing a frozen line, contact Plumbing Company Colorado at 303-567-7708. Our licensed, local teams are available 24/7/365 to keep your home safe, dry, and warm through the winter months.