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Keep your pipes from freezing this winter
Pipes inside a heated home usually hold out until it's much colder than 32°F outside. The International Code Council, citing IBHS research, says unprotected pipes generally begin to freeze when it drops to about 20°F. Pipes in outside walls, crawl spaces, garages, and cabinets on outside walls go first.
Before a hard freeze:
- Disconnect garden hoses. Close the inside valve that feeds each outdoor faucet, then open the faucet outside so it drains.
- Open the cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks on outside walls.
- When it's very cold, let a cold faucet fed by exposed pipes drip.
- Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night. If you'll be away, leave it at 55°F or higher.
- Keep the garage door closed if there are water lines in the garage.
Check how cold it will get in your city: singerplumbingco.com/will-my-pipes-freeze
If a pipe bursts, shut off the main water valve first, then call for help.
Courtesy of Singer Plumbing Co. · (720) 818-5569 · singerplumbingco.com
Know where your main water shutoff is
When a pipe bursts, the first two minutes matter most. Find your main shutoff now, while nothing is leaking.
- Houses: look where the water line comes through the foundation, usually on the side facing the street. It's often on the basement wall, just inside the crawl space, or in the utility closet or garage near the water heater.
- Condos and apartments: there's often a shutoff for your unit in a utility closet or behind an access panel. If there isn't, the building controls it, so ask management who has access.
- A round handle turns clockwise until it stops. A lever handle turns a quarter turn, until it sits crosswise to the pipe.
- If the valve won't move, don't force it: an old valve can break. Call your water provider's emergency line instead.
Test it once a year. If it's stiff or drips when you turn it, have it replaced on a normal day, not during an emergency.
Step by step: singerplumbingco.com/guides/how-to-shut-off-water-main
Courtesy of Singer Plumbing Co. · (720) 818-5569 · singerplumbingco.com
Is your water heater near the end?
A standard tank water heater typically lasts about 8 to 12 years. Hard water along the Front Range builds sediment in the tank and can push it toward the short end.
Signs it's time to plan for a replacement:
- Water around the base of the tank (a leaking tank can't be repaired)
- Rusty-looking hot water
- Popping or rumbling while it heats
- Hot water running out sooner than it used to
- An age of 10 years or more
Flushing the tank once a year and checking the anode rod every few years help it last. To see how old yours is, type the serial number from its label into singerplumbingco.com/water-heater-age
Courtesy of Singer Plumbing Co. · (720) 818-5569 · singerplumbingco.com
Leaving for the holidays? Protect the plumbing
An empty home is where a split pipe runs the longest before anyone notices.
- Leave the heat on, set no lower than 55°F.
- For a longer trip, shut off the main water valve and open a low faucet to drain the pressure off the lines.
- Open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls before you go.
- Ask a neighbor to check inside during a cold snap.
- Keep your water provider's emergency number handy.
Courtesy of Singer Plumbing Co. · (720) 818-5569 · singerplumbingco.com
The community's yearly backflow tests
Colorado requires water providers to check every non-single-family connection for cross connections, including dedicated irrigation connections like an HOA's common-area sprinklers. The backflow assemblies they require are tested every year by a certified tester, tagged, and reported to the water provider.
Missing a deadline can bring fines or a water shutoff, depending on the provider, so the board's job is simple: know which assemblies the community has, when each one is due, and who files the reports.
Due dates and filing rules for each Denver-metro water provider: singerplumbingco.com/guides/backflow-testing-requirements-colorado
Courtesy of Singer Plumbing Co. · (720) 818-5569 · singerplumbingco.com
For managers and boards
We test, tag, and file the backflow assemblies on common-area irrigation, clubhouses, pools, and building lines, with every report filed the way each property's water provider wants it and one invoice. Commercial and HOA backflow testing → · How we work with property managers →
Facts in these articles come from the International Code Council (citing IBHS) for the 20°F guideline, the American Red Cross for the freeze and travel steps, CDPHE for backflow, and our own guides. Updated October 2026.