DENVER — Firefighters and plumbers have some warning with frigid temperatures through the weekend.
South Metro Fire Rescue answered about 10 phone calls related to frozen pipes Saturday. They say the best thing to do in that situation is immediately go to the main water shut off and turn it off. Plumbline Services says to avoid leaving hoses connected to hose faucets.
It was a busy day for Colton Swingle, a plumber with Plumbline Services, who worked up and down the front range Saturday on freeze breaks and water heaters.
Swingle’s last call was pretty shocking.
“This is a new one for me for sure,” Swingle said.
The homeowners, Jim and Evalyn Adams, have a nickname for it.
“We refer to it as the ice sculpture,” Jim Adams said.
The homeowners say the "ice sculpture" freezes usually just a couple feet, but not Saturday.
“Typically, there's not a giant block of ice like this, and there's kind of more evidence, either inside the house or you know around the vicinity of the problem that kind of indicates what's going on,” Swingle said.
Swingle said a call earlier today was a little bit easier.
“I could shimmy under there and see icicles coming through the wood, so it gave me a good idea of where to start looking, but something like this, there is no evidence inside, like water coming through the ceiling,” Swingle said. “I’m going to have to get a hammer to break up some of this ice.”
Prevention is key in cold like this.
“A big thing is not leaving hoses connected to hose faucets. That's a big one,” Swingle said.
South Metro Fire Rescue says if your pipes freeze, thaw them out slowly.
“Use a space heater in the area where the pipe is frozen, or a hair dryer to thaw the pipe,” said Eric Hurst, a spokesperson for South Metro Fire Rescue.
Hurst said not to use a plumber's torch or fire to thaw water pipes.
Hurst said with frigid temperatures like this, be careful with space heaters.
“We just want to make sure any sources of heat are kept at least three feet away from something that can burn, so especially when it comes to those space heaters, make sure they’re not too close to a bed or a couch or anything like that,” Hurst said.
These conditions also make it hard for firefighters to fight fires.
“They have to be bundled up and trying to stay warm, and any exposed skin on days like today we know can cause frostbite really fast,” Hurst said. “Especially firefighters dealing with water. That can really complicate things if the clothes they’re wearing get saturated with water, that could really make things a lot more tough on them.”
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