When a pipe bursts in a Westminster home, close the main water valve and cut power to anything wet. A plumber can locate the rupture, replace the damaged piece and restore water safely. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Westminster.
The City of Westminster runs its own water system, drawing from Standley Lake, with more than 550 miles of water lines. The city owns the service line from the main in the street to your meter pit; you own the pipe from the meter into the home. A median home built in 1987, with about a third of the housing predating 1980, means a mix of copper, PEX and older materials around town.
What to do right now
- Close the main shutoff, usually where the water line enters the basement or crawl space, or near the water heater.
- Turn off breakers feeding outlets, lights or appliances that are wet.
- Open a cold faucet on the lowest floor to drain what's left in the pipes.
- Switch an electric water heater off, or set a gas heater to pilot.
- Take photos and video before moving anything.
- If water is surfacing near the meter pit or street, call the city's Public Works and Utilities line at 303-658-2500.
Symptoms and what they usually mean
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Water dripping from a ceiling after a cold night | A frozen line in a ceiling or exterior wall that split |
| No water at one sink, normal elsewhere | That branch is still frozen and may already be cracked |
| Wet lawn between the meter pit and house | Leak on the owner's service line |
| Meter moving with every fixture off | Hidden leak somewhere past the meter |
| Water near the sprinkler valves in spring | A backflow assembly or irrigation pipe that froze |
What affects the cost
- How much wall, ceiling or floor has to be opened
- Pipe material and whether old and new have to be joined
- The number of breaks along a frozen run
- Whether the failure is underground: Westminster requires a building permit for underground repair or replacement of water and sewer lines
- Time of day and day of week
The city's inventory found no lead in known residential service lines, mostly copper, though some older homes may still have galvanized steel lines. That matters if a yard line has to be replaced: a plumber will match the new pipe to code and to the city's connection at the meter, rather than splicing new copper onto corroded steel that is likely to fail again.
Burst Pipe Repair questions in Westminster
Who pays to fix a leak between the meter pit and the house?
Can a sprinkler system or its backflow device burst?
Does a burst pipe repair need a permit?
Should I open the faucets after shutting off the main?
More plumbing services in Westminster
Burst Pipe Repair nearby
Helpful guides
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