Burst Pipe Repair in Sedalia, CO

Who handles water in Sedalia?

Sedalia Water and Sanitation District, a small special district formed in 1958, took over a water system originally installed by the railroad. It serves properties inside its boundaries only, and despite its name, it doesn't provide sanitary sewer service. Homes in the wider 80135 ZIP outside the district get water some other way, often a private well. So the first question after a burst is which setup you have. District customers with a leak near the street can call the district at (303) 688-2506. On a well, there's no utility to call: switch off the pump's breaker, close the valve past the pressure tank and open a low faucet. Since no sewer provider was confirmed, many homes may not be on municipal sewer, so go easy on sending leak water down the drains during cleanup.

Why do pipes freeze in Sedalia?

Sedalia sits on US 85 in northern Douglas County, about 8 miles northwest of Castle Rock and 24 miles south of downtown Denver, on open ground near the foothills. Cold air settles in on still nights, and wind finds its way into crawl spaces, garages and outside walls. Rural properties add more freeze points: long buried lines, outbuildings with plumbing and pressure tanks in unheated spaces. When one of those freezes, the leak often doesn't show until the next day's thaw.

Who issues the permit?

Sedalia is unincorporated, so building permits come from the Douglas County Building Division. Colorado's Division of Professions and Occupations lists Douglas County as running its own county-wide plumbing inspection program, so plumbing is permitted and inspected by the county rather than the state. The plumber can tell you whether your repair needs a permit and file it.

A Sedalia note

If you smell gas near the water heater or furnace, leave the house and call 911, then your gas utility or propane supplier, from outside. The number is on your gas bill. With the repair done, ask the plumber to point out other lines in the same cold spaces, such as a pump closet or garage wall, and whether insulation or heat tape would help; on rural properties near the foothills, those spots are usually the next to freeze when another long cold stretch settles over the area.