Burst Pipe Repair in Firestone, CO

Firestone is one of the Carbon Valley towns along I-25, made up mostly of newer family subdivisions. The Town of Firestone distributes water to most of town but doesn't treat it; it buys treated water from Central Weld County Water District and St. Vrain Water Authority. Homes in the Barefoot Lakes neighborhood get water from Little Thompson Water District instead. In newer houses, bursts usually come from lines in garages, attics and outside walls, not worn-out pipe.

First steps

1. Close the main shutoff, often in the mechanical room near the water heater.
2. Turn off breakers to wet outlets and appliances.
3. Open a low faucet to drain the lines.
4. Turn off an electric water heater, or set a gas unit to pilot.
5. If you smell gas, leave and call 911, then Black Hills Energy, Firestone's gas utility, using the number on your gas bill.
6. For a water emergency on the Town's side after hours or on a weekend, call 720-652-4222; Barefoot Lakes residents should call Little Thompson Water District.

Symptoms and causes

What changes the price

• How much drywall or ceiling must be opened
• Pipe type, usually PEX or copper in newer homes
• Number of breaks along the line
• Digging if the leak is underground
• Town of Firestone Building Division permits when the repair requires one
• After-hours timing

If the freeze also took out the water heater, Firestone's Building Division requires a permit for a residential tank-style replacement, and switching to tankless with new gas piping needs plan review. A floor drain that backs up after the leak goes to St. Vrain Sanitation District's system, though the building sewer line belongs to the property. Out on the open ground of southwest Weld County, wind pushes cold into garages and crawl spaces, so once the repair is done, ask the plumber which other lines in the house sit in the same exposed spots and whether insulation or a small reroute makes sense.