Frozen Pipes in Northern Colorado: Fall Checklist and What to Do After a Burst

Frozen pipes in Northern Colorado show up in Fort Collins, Windsor, and Loveland houses with a crawlspace, pipes in a garage wall, or a spigot line through the rim joist. This page is the fall checklist, then what to do if a pipe or outdoor spigot bursts. If a line is already frozen, book a plumbing visit.

When does the first freeze hit Fort Collins, Windsor, and Loveland?

The City of Fort Collins says to winterize before the first freeze, which usually comes in early to mid-October. A local sprinkler company puts the 10-year average at October 14. Daytime highs can stay comfortable while the night drops below freezing, so finish the list early rather than waiting on a cold morning.

That is the usual window, not a forecast for this year.

Fall checklist: protect your pipes before the first freeze

Most of this takes an afternoon and no special tools. Do it before the first freeze, which in Fort Collins usually comes in early to mid-October.

1. Disconnect every garden hose. Drain the hoses and store them inside. Do this on frost-free spigots too; a hose left on keeps the spigot from draining.
2. Drain the outdoor spigots. If a spigot has a shutoff valve inside the house, close it, then open the spigot outside to let the line drain. Leave the outside spigot open for the winter. A foam faucet cover adds a little protection. If a spigot drips when it's off, leaked inside last spring, or won't shut off, have it replaced before the freeze. We replace standard and frost-free hose bibs.
3. Get the sprinkler system blown out. Shut the sprinklers off in early October and have the lines blown out before the first freeze, usually by an irrigation or sprinkler company. The City of Fort Collins recommends working with a licensed irrigation contractor.
4. Insulate pipes in cold spaces. Foam pipe sleeves on exposed pipes in the crawlspace, garage, and unfinished basement rim areas. Close crawlspace vents and seal gaps where cold air reaches pipes. Heat cable is an option for a run that has frozen before; install it only per the manufacturer's directions.
5. Set the thermostat for cold snaps. Keep the same temperature day and night during a cold spell. If you're away, keep the heat on and no lower than 55°F, which is American Red Cross guidance. Open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls on the coldest nights, and let a faucet on an outside wall drip during deep cold.
6. Find and test the main water shutoff. Find it, make sure it turns, and tag it so everyone in the house knows where it is. Keep the meter pit and curb stop clear of snow, landscaping, and storage. If the valve is stuck, seized, or leaking, don't force it. We can replace a stuck or failing main shutoff valve before winter, so it works when you need it.
7. Leaving for a while? Consider shutting off the main and draining the lines, turn off the washer and ice-maker supply valves, and ask someone to check the house after any hard freeze.

Stop and call if:

• A spigot or pipe is leaking inside the house.
• A wall or ceiling is wet or stained.
• The main shutoff won't turn.
• A pipe is frozen and you can't reach it or thaw it safely.
• A pipe has frozen before.

Don't:

• Use a torch or open flame on a frozen pipe.
• Leave a space heater running unattended in a crawlspace.
• Turn the heat off in an empty house.
• Patch a wet wall before the leak is fixed and the area is dry.

Main shutoff stuck, or a spigot that leaks or won't shut off? We replace both. Call or text 970-610-6200 and book a plumbing visit before the freeze.

Which pipes freeze first in a Northern Colorado house

• Hose bibs and the pipe behind them. The pipe behind the outside faucet often runs through the rim joist or an exterior wall.
• Pipes in crawlspaces. An open vent or a gap at the rim lets night air sit on the pipes. Foam sleeves and closed vents are the steps before the first freeze.
• Pipes in garage walls and ceilings. A laundry hookup or a water heater repair in the garage puts supply lines in a room that is often left unheated.
• Kitchen or bath sinks on an outside wall. On the coldest nights, open the cabinet doors so room heat reaches the lines, and let that faucet drip.
• Pipes near vents, dryer ducts, or gaps. Cold air follows those openings, and a pipe next to the gap can freeze while the rest of the house is fine.

Signs a pipe is frozen, and how to thaw it safely

A frozen pipe usually shows up at one fixture: a trickle or nothing on a cold morning, frost on an exposed pipe, or one fixture out while the others still run.

If you can reach the pipe, the American Red Cross method is the safe one. Leave the faucet open. Warm the pipe gently with a hair dryer, a heating pad, or warm towels, working from the faucet back toward the frozen spot. Never use a torch, an open flame, or a space heater left unattended. If you can't find the frozen section, can't reach it, or it won't thaw, book a plumbing visit.

If the pipe may already be cracked, shut the main off before you thaw it. A bulge, a wet spot, or a frost-split seam is the warning. Thawing a split pipe with the water still on is how a frozen pipe becomes a flood.

Pipe frozen but not burst? Call or text 970-610-6200. We can come out and thaw it, then check the line before the water's back on. Same-day service is often available when the schedule allows.

Pipe burst? What to do right now

1. Shut off the main water. It's usually where the line enters the house, often in the basement, a crawlspace, or a utility room. Turn it clockwise. If it won't turn or you can't reach it, your water utility can shut the water off at the curb stop. Don't force a stuck valve. When we fix the pipe, we can replace a main shutoff that's stuck or failing, so it works next time.
2. Stay safe around electricity. Don't walk through standing water near outlets, cords, or appliances. Don't touch the electrical panel if you're standing in water. If water is reaching the panel or light fixtures, keep clear and call a licensed electrician. If a ceiling is sagging, stay out from under it, put a bucket down, and leave that light off.
3. Open a faucet or two on the lowest floor to drain what's left in the lines.
4. Move what you can out of the water and mop up the standing water you can safely reach.
5. Take photos of the burst section, the wet areas, and any ceiling or wall damage before anything is cleaned up. They help the repair visit, and your insurer may want them. Coverage depends on your policy. We don't make coverage determinations; check with your insurer or agent.
6. Call or text 970-610-6200 with photos, your address, and whether the water is off. Same-day service is often available when the schedule allows. See leak and water damage repair for the wet wall, ceiling, or floor.
7. Don't close anything up yet. Don't paint, patch, or put flooring back over wet material. The wall or ceiling is the last thing fixed, not the first.

See what a stain on the ceiling below can mean if the burst was upstairs.

What the repair involves, from the burst pipe to the drywall and floor

The pipe is first, then drying, then the drywall, ceiling, and floor once the area is dry.

1. Find and fix the break. A licensed Colorado master plumber opens what's needed to reach the split, repairs or replaces that section, and checks the line before the water goes back on. Price is agreed before the repair begins.
2. Dry it. If the wet area is small, cleanup and drying stay with the repair. If water spread across rooms, soaked a large area, or the whole wall or ceiling cavity, we say so and refer that part to a restoration partner. The pipe repair can still be ours. See restoration company or just the repair.
3. Repair the drywall and ceiling. Cut out damaged board, replace it, match the texture, prime, and paint. That finish work is drywall and ceiling repair after a leak.
4. Repair the floor and trim if needed. Remove water-damaged materials, then replace subfloor, flooring, and baseboard once the area is dry. Vinyl plank is covered in water under LVP flooring.

If the main shutoff was stuck or failing during the burst, we can replace it on the same job. That is part of the scope we agree on.

If something different turns up once it's open, we stop and talk first. That is the No Change Order Guarantee: the price we agree to on site is the price you pay for that scope. If the job changes, we talk first — we do not surprise you later.

Outdoor spigot leaking inside the wall? Frost-free hose bib replacement

Why it happens

A frost-free hose bib has its shutoff valve inside the house, at the end of a long stem, so the outside part drains after you turn it off. A connected hose stops it from draining. The water left in the stem freezes and can split the pipe inside the wall or rim joist.

The tell

It is often only wet when the spigot is on. You see water in the basement or behind the wall under the spigot, a stain on a basement ceiling or drywall near the spigot, wet insulation, or a puddle on the floor the first time you turn the hose on in spring. A spigot that leaks only outside, at the handle or the spout, is a different and smaller problem.

What to do

Stop using that spigot. If it has an interior shutoff, close it. If it does not, use the main. Take photos of the inside wall or ceiling, and call. The same shutoff step is covered with supply line and valve leaks.

Hose bib replacement: what we do

We replace the spigot. A frost-free hose bib that split inside the wall usually can't be patched. A licensed Colorado master plumber replaces the hose bib and the split section of pipe behind it, then checks it for leaks with the water back on. This covers standard and frost-free spigots.

Then we repair the wall. Once it's dry, the same team repairs the drywall, insulation, and trim inside, or the basement ceiling under it. That wall work is drywall repair. If water spread beyond a small area, the drying goes to a restoration partner, and the repairs come back to us.

A spigot that drips at the spout when it's off, leaks at the handle, or won't shut off all the way can also be replaced.

If a spigot leaked last spring or won't shut off, have it replaced before the first freeze.

Disconnect every hose before the first freeze, every year, including the hose on a frost-free spigot.

Spigot leaking inside the wall, or one that won't shut off? Call or text 970-610-6200. We replace the spigot and repair the wall.

Can sewer lines freeze?

Sewer lines can freeze, but it is uncommon when a sewer line is buried deep enough and sloped right. Risk goes up when part of the line is shallow or runs through an unheated crawlspace, when a sag holds standing water, or when a house sits empty and little warm water goes down the drains.

Several drains that slow or back up at once during a cold snap, gurgling, or a backup at the lowest drain are the signs to take seriously.

Stop running water, and call a plumber. Keeping the heat on and the house in use protects drains too. Book a plumbing visit and describe what the drains are doing.

Why one team matters after a burst

A burst pipe usually needs a plumber for the pipe, sometimes a restoration company for a large wet area, and then a drywall, floor, and paint crew. Good Life Home Co. has a licensed Colorado master plumber and an in-house repair crew under one roof, so the pipe and the wall, ceiling, or floor are one company's work, under one price agreed up front and backed by the 3 Year Workmanship Guarantee. If our workmanship fails within three years, we come back and make it right. Materials follow manufacturer coverage.

See plumber or handyman.

On a different kind of leak, a toilet flange, read the Fort Collins case study. That job was a toilet leak, not a frozen pipe.

The site shows 5.0 from 63 Google reviews. One of those reviews, from Eric, says: "He clearly explained the process, provided options, answered questions and the results were excellent." The owner is a licensed Colorado master plumber. The company was founded in 2021. We do this work as a plumber in Fort Collins, a plumber in Windsor, and a plumber in Loveland.