COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Temperatures are dropping, and fast. You may be thinking about bundling yourself up. We want to let you know about something else you should think about keeping warm. That would be your pipes.

Property managers I spoke with say frozen pipes could cost you a lot of money. You probably have seen the signs outside apartment communities that say open your cabinets and let faucets drip. Those are two ways to keep your pipes from bursting if the heat goes out.

I had to ask though- why does opening the cabinets help keep pipes from bursting? Ashley Epler who works at a local apartment community says it’s simply to let the warm air reach the pipes. She also tells me that letting your faucet slowly drip helps by keeping the pressure down inside the pipes.

But what if worse comes to worst? Epler says “If a pipe does burst, call us right away, and then if you do have your own renters insurance, call them as well. This can get expensive especially when repairing the pipe, if we have to have water extracted from the apartment, stuff like that.”

Another property manager I talked to says damages from frozen pipes can cause anywhere from five thousand dollars to sixty thousand dollars or more of damage, but it all depends on the amount of damage.

One more thing, if you live in a house you may want to think about those exterior pipes and faucets as well. A few bucks at the hardware store will get you pipe covers—that, and a cover that goes right on top of the spout. Don’t forget to unhook the house from your house as well.

The moral of this story is to keep yourself and your pipes warm this weekend!

Local Colorado Springs School Shut Down Over Unsafe Conditions

The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) notified Colorado Springs School District 11 of structural concerns at Jenkins Middle School just before the holidays in December.

CSFD letter to School District 11 details damage to Jenkins Middle School