Burst Pipe Repair in Castle Rock, CO

Castle Rock is the Douglas County seat, a large and growing town strung along I-25 south of Denver. Castle Rock Water, the town's own utility, supplies most homes, though some areas with Castle Rock mailing addresses, such as The Village at Castle Pines, are on other districts. Most bursts here come from lines in garages, exterior walls and crawl spaces during sharp cold snaps.

Steps to take now

1. Close the main valve where the water line comes into the house.
2. Turn off breakers for wet outlets, fixtures or appliances.
3. Open a low faucet to drain the remaining water and relieve pressure.
4. Turn off an electric water heater, or set a gas heater to pilot.
5. If you smell gas, leave and call 911, then Black Hills Energy, the town's gas utility, using the number on your gas bill.
6. If water is coming up in the street, report it to Castle Rock Water at 720-733-6000 (press 1 after hours).

Symptoms and likely causes

What affects the cost

• Access through finished walls, ceilings or tile
• Pipe type, and whether mixed materials meet at the break
• How many spots froze along the same line
• Whether the break is underground
• Permits through the Town of Castle Rock Building department, when the repair calls for one
• After-hours timing

Castle Rock Water reports its water as moderately hard to hard. That doesn't cause freeze damage, but scale can make an old shutoff valve stiff, so check yours before you need it. Castle Rock Water also says its service lines on the distribution side are non-lead. Once the repair is done, ask the plumber to point out any other lines running through the garage or along outside walls, since those are the next most likely to freeze when the town gets a long run of subzero nights.