Burst Pipe Repair in Arvada, CO

Is the break my problem or the city's?

For most Arvada addresses, the City of Arvada supplies water and sewer. The city owns the service line from the main to the meter pit; the property owner owns the line from the meter pit to the foundation, and everything inside. So a split in a basement, crawl space or the yard line between pit and house is the owner's repair. If water is surfacing at the meter pit or the street, call the city's utility line at 720-898-7070 first. A handful of areas inside city limits are served by other districts, including Ralston Valley Water and Sanitation, Consolidated Mutual and Denver Water, and those districts set their own rules. Your water bill shows which one serves you.

Why do Arvada pipes split in a freeze?

Arvada grew fast after World War II from its farming past, and the median home dates to 1979, with about 52% built before 1980. Many of those houses have had additions, finished basements and a patchwork of copper, galvanized and newer plastic pipe. A hard freeze finds the weak spots: lines in exterior walls, under unheated additions, near garage doors and in crawl spaces. Newer construction isn't immune either, especially where a line runs through an attic or garage. After a break, a plumber will check whether neighboring pipe is in good enough shape to splice into.

Will the repair need a permit, and what's in the yard line?

Arvada requires a city permit to install, repair or disconnect a water or sewer service, and work in the public right-of-way takes a separate city contractor's license, so a yard-line repair near the street involves more paperwork than an indoor splice. If your private service line has to be dug up, the city's inventory has found mostly copper and no lead lines, and lead and pre-1960 galvanized service lines aren't allowed on Arvada's system. Owners with an "unknown" line are asked to contact the city, so a repair is a good time to settle what yours is made of.

One Arvada note

Arvada's Building Services office is at 8101 Ralston Road (720-898-7620). Indoor patches that don't change the plumbing system may not need a permit, but replacing a buried service line does. Ask the plumber which applies before work starts, so the job doesn't stall at inspection.