A frozen pipe is a deadline. Ice in the line pushes pressure toward the nearest faucet, and the pipe often splits somewhere you can't see. You find out when it thaws and the ceiling starts dripping. If water is running right now, shut off your main and call.
If a pipe just burst
- Shut off the main water valve. In most Denver-area homes it's on the basement or crawl-space wall closest to the street, or in a utility room near the water heater. Turn it clockwise until it stops. How to find your main shutoff →
- Open the lowest faucet in the house to drain pressure out of the lines.
- Keep clear of water near outlets, cords, and the electrical panel.
- Take photos of the damage before you clean up. Your insurance adjuster will want them.
- Call or text (720) 818-5569. Active leaks get same-day service.
Where pipes freeze in Colorado houses
Almost never in the middle of the house. It's the pipes that run where the heat doesn't reach: kitchen and bathroom lines on exterior walls, supply lines in crawl spaces and over garages, the pipe behind an outdoor faucet that still had a hose attached, and lines in basements with a cold corner or a drafty rim joist. A cold snap after a mild stretch catches a lot of people, because nobody thought about the drip until it was already 5°F outside.
What we do on a frozen or burst pipe call
- Find the frozen section and thaw it safely. No torches, ever: open flame near framing and insulation is how a plumbing problem becomes a fire.
- Find every split, not just the obvious one. Frozen lines often crack in more than one spot, and a second split behind the wall is the one that soaks the drywall a week later.
- Repair or replace the damaged section with new pipe and fittings, then pressure-check the line before the walls get closed up.
- Fix the cause, so it doesn't happen next winter. That could mean insulating the line, sealing the draft that froze it, or rerouting a pipe away from an exterior wall.
- Photos and an itemized invoice you can hand straight to your insurance company.
You get the price before the repair starts. If we open a wall and find something bigger, we stop and show you before going further.
Frozen but not leaking yet?
Open the faucet the pipe feeds, hot and cold, and warm the pipe gently with a hair dryer, a heating pad, or warm towels, starting near the faucet and working back. Open the cabinet doors under the sink so room heat can reach it. Once water flows again, check for drips: pipes often split while they're frozen and only leak once they thaw. Full steps are in our guide: Frozen pipe? What to do first.
Outdoor faucets that froze
A frost-free hose bib (sillcock) only works if it can drain. Leave a hose attached through a hard freeze and the water trapped inside the wall freezes and splits the valve body. The tell is water inside the basement or wall the first time you open the outside faucet in spring. We replace split sillcocks and the short pipe behind them, usually in a single visit. How to winterize outdoor faucets →
Keep it from happening again
- Disconnect garden hoses and get the sprinkler system blown out before the first hard freeze.
- Keep the heat at 55°F or higher, even when you're traveling.
- During a cold snap, open cabinet doors on exterior walls and let those faucets drip slightly.
- Insulate pipes in crawl spaces, garages, and unheated rooms, and seal the drafts around them.
- Know where your main shutoff is, and make sure it actually turns. If it's seized, have it replaced before you need it in an emergency.
More detail: How to prevent frozen pipes in Colorado.
Landlords and property managers
A burst pipe in a vacant unit can run for days before anyone notices. We handle freeze damage calls for rentals and HOAs: we coordinate with the tenant, document the unit with photos, and invoice net-30. Ask about pre-winter walk-throughs for vacant units, or see how to protect a vacant house from freezing. Property management accounts →