DENVER — As cold weather finally arrives on the Front Range, companies that handle heating and plumbing are preparing for a busy few days.
Temperatures are expected in the low 20s in some areas – a drop of more than 50 degrees from Monday’s highs in the 80s.
At Absolute Plumbing, Electrical, Heating and Air, president Marcus Broder said he is preparing for some people to be caught off-guard.
“October has been pretty beautiful and pretty hot, and now all of a sudden it creeped up on us very quickly,” he said. “It’s about to be very busy.”
Broder said the phone lines were ringing Wednesday with people turning on their heat for the first time, only to find out it didn’t work. He said he expects Thursday to be a busy day of responding to frozen pipes and backed-up sprinkler systems.
“It can be pretty nasty,” he said. “It’s not fun for the homeowner.”
Broder offered some tips for Wednesday night to prevent significant damage:
First, unhook all exterior hoses from your home and consider covering pipes that are exposed to the elements with a towel or blanket.
He also recommended leaving faucets near exterior walls on a slow drip overnight.
If you haven’t drained your sprinkler system, this is the time to do that.
Temperatures are expected to climb into the 50s and 60s through the rest of the week, so widespread damage isn’t expected.