Repiping in Morrison, CO

Signs it is time

• Leaks appearing in a new spot every few months
• Rust-tinted water first thing in the morning
• Weak flow at most fixtures
• Threaded steel pipe or corroded copper under the house
• Repair clamps and mixed materials from decades of patches

A single leak on otherwise sound pipe is a repair. With pipe this old, though, one failure is often followed by more.

Morrison conditions

Morrison is a tiny historic foothills town about 20 miles southwest of Denver, known for its stone buildings, dinosaur fossil history and neighbor Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Census survey data for the town, which has about 151 housing units, puts the median home at 1954 with about 91.4% built before 1980. Nearly every house in town has had decades for its supply pipe to corrode, narrow or be patched.

The Town of Morrison runs its own water system, drawing from Bear Creek and treating it at a town membrane filtration plant rather than buying from Denver Water. The town is a member of the Bear Creek Watershed Association, which works with the state health department to protect water quality. The pages reviewed do not say where the town's responsibility for the water service line ends, so ask the plumber to confirm with Town Hall before replacing any buried line. The 80465 ZIP reaches far beyond town limits, and providers outside town were not verified.

What affects the price

• Older construction, including stone, plaster and tight framing
• Access under small, older houses
• House size, usually modest in town
• PEX or copper
• The service line, if it is added

Once you call

You will be connected with an independent local plumber who works in Morrison. Have the build year and a list of recent leaks ready. The Town of Morrison Building Department, with code enforcement contracted to Charles Abbott Associates, can be reached at building@morrisonco.us; its pages do not spell out plumbing permit requirements, so the plumber should confirm what a repipe needs before starting. Stone walls and old plaster take more care to open, so ask how the plumber plans to route new lines with the fewest cuts.