Have you experienced frozen or broken pipes at your house? Every homeowner in metro Denver has this concern, especially on nights of sub-zero temps. With warmer weather finally in the forecast, most of us are glad that our houses evaded the consequences of broken water supply pipes in our homes.
Unfortunately, your luck may soon run out. There is a high probability of interior water damage caused by last winter’s deep freeze, and the problem resides in your frostless spigot.
This plumbing hardware appears at the foundation of your house – it is the fixture you connect a garden hose to and then water your garden. Water gushes into the basement only when a cracked or defective spigot is turned on. Homeowners may not realize the dire situation until their basement has flooded.
This startling event usually happens in the spring or summer when the spigot is turned on for the first time since last season. The homeowner is outside adding water to a swimming pool or pressure washing a house, while gallons of water gush inside the building.
As a concerned neighbor and a licensed plumber, please consider this information as a warning about the flood danger of turning on your outdoor spigot for the first time this season. You can hire an independent master plumber (no need to call an expensive plumbing service company) to evaluate the condition and safety of your outdoor spigots, and to prevent a costly plumbing emergency at your house.
I hope this helps. Have a nice spring.
COURTESY MIKE MATTHEWS
Mike Matthews is a Colorado Master Plumber in the Denver metro area.
