Burst Pipes and Freeze Risk on the Front Range

You turn on a faucet and get a trickle or nothing, a pipe bangs, or a wall or ceiling starts to show a wet stain after a cold night. On the Front Range, the usual cause is water freezing inside a pipe in an unheated space. Ice expands, the pipe splits where it froze, and the leak often starts only when the ice thaws.

Where Pipes Freeze in Thornton Homes

Thornton sees wide temperature swings, and a warm afternoon can be followed by a hard freeze overnight. The pipes at risk are the ones the heat doesn't reach: supply lines in an unheated crawl space, in a garage wall, along an exterior wall, or in an attic, plus outdoor hose bibs. Copper and other rigid pipe split when ice forms inside. A pipe that has frozen but not yet split can look normal.

What to Do Right Away

Find the main shutoff before cold weather arrives. It is usually near the water heater, in a utility room, or where the line enters the house. A lever handle turns a quarter turn, and a round handle turns clockwise until it stops. If a pipe has split or water is running where it shouldn't, shut the main first and open a faucet to drain the lines. Then shut off the water heater's cold supply valve if water is pouring near it.

If you have a frozen pipe with no leak yet, leave the faucet open a little and warm the space gently with a hair dryer or by opening cabinet doors under the sink. Never use a torch or open flame. Rapid heat can split the pipe or start a fire, and it turns a small problem into a water leak repair.

When to Stop and Call

Call if you see water spraying or pooling, a ceiling sagging or stained, no water at any fixture with the main open, or a pipe you can't reach. A wet spot in the yard or a drop in pressure at every fixture can point to the line between the street and the house, which is a water line repair rather than a fix inside the walls. If it's an active leak, see our emergency plumber page. Outside our hours, keep the main shut and call when the line opens, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm.

We explain what we find and put a written scope and price in front of you to approve before work starts.

Steps That Lower the Risk Before Winter

• Insulate exposed pipes in crawl spaces, garages, and exterior walls with foam sleeves.
• Open cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks on the coldest nights.
• Disconnect and drain garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard freeze.
• Know where the main shutoff is, and make sure everyone in the house can find it.

If you have a burst pipe or a pipe you can't thaw in Thornton, call (720) 856-5811.