Winter Freeze-Ups in Telluride Homes and Second Homes: Prevent, Spot and Respond

Frozen pipes and freeze-ups can flood a Telluride home or empty second home. How to prevent them, warning signs and what to do. 24/7: (970) 964-4437.

Winter in Telluride is long, cold and snowy, and a lot of homes in town and up in Mountain Village sit empty for stretches of it. Every one of those gaps is a window when a heating problem can go unnoticed long enough for pipes to freeze.

A freeze-up rarely does its damage while it's frozen. The trouble starts when a pipe splits under the pressure of the ice and then thaws, or when someone turns the heat back up. Water can run for hours or days before anyone sees it, soaking floors, walls and ceilings on every level below.

Here's how to reduce the risk, what warning signs to watch for, and what to do if you or your property manager walks into a home with water on the floor.

Why Telluride Homes Are Vulnerable

Pipes freeze when the space around them gets too cold, and in a mountain town several things can make that happen:

• Heat that quietly stops. A furnace or boiler that faults out, a tripped breaker, a thermostat with dead batteries, or a power outage during a storm can all leave a house without heat. If nobody is home, nobody notices.
• Pipes in cold spots. Supply lines in exterior walls, crawl spaces, garages, mechanical rooms on outside walls and under sinks against exterior walls lose heat fastest.
• Big, complex houses. Long plumbing runs, multiple heating zones and rarely used rooms mean a single cold zone is enough.
• Heat set too low to save energy. Turning the thermostat way down while you're away can leave the coldest corners of the house below freezing even if the main rooms feel fine.
• Long gaps between visits. A problem that starts the day after you leave may not be found until you come back.

Before You Leave: A Freeze-Up Checklist

If you own a second home or rental in Telluride, these steps are worth doing every time the house will sit empty, not just once a season.

Heat

• Keep the thermostat at 55°F or higher in every zone, including rooms you don't use.
• Replace thermostat batteries before winter and make sure every zone actually calls for heat.
• Have your heating system serviced in the fall by a qualified technician.
• Leave interior doors and sink cabinets on exterior walls open so warm air can reach the plumbing.

Water

• Know where the main water shut-off is, and make sure it turns. Show your property manager or caretaker.
• If the house will be empty for a long stretch, ask your plumber whether shutting off and draining the supply lines makes sense for your home. Some systems, such as fire sprinklers and certain heating setups, need water supply, so get professional advice before you shut everything off.
• Disconnect hoses and drain exterior spigots.

Eyes on the house

• Have a trusted local person or property manager check the house regularly and after every hard cold snap or power outage.
• Consider smart temperature sensors and water leak detectors that alert your phone. Some homes also use an automatic water shut-off valve that closes when a leak is detected.
• Make sure your caretaker has a key, the alarm code and permission to call for help without waiting to reach you.

Our guide to closing up a cabin or second home for winter has a full checklist that works just as well in Telluride as in Ouray and Ridgway.

Warning Signs of a Freeze-Up

If you or your caretaker notice any of these, treat it as urgent:

• The house feels cold when you walk in, or the thermostat reads well below its setting
• No water, or just a trickle, from a faucet
• Frost on exposed pipes, or a pipe that looks swollen or split
• Water stains on ceilings or walls, especially below bathrooms and kitchens
• Warped or cupping wood floors, or carpet that feels damp
• A musty smell, or the sound of running water when nothing is on

If You Find a Frozen or Burst Pipe

1. Shut off the water at the main. Then open a faucet on the lowest level to drain pressure.
2. Stay safe. Don't walk into standing water near outlets, cords or appliances. Turn off power to wet areas at the breaker if you can reach it from a dry spot. Keep people out from under any ceiling that's sagging with water.
3. Don't thaw pipes with an open flame. No torches or lighters. A plumber can thaw and repair the line safely.
4. Document everything. Take photos and video of every affected room before anything is moved, and note the date and time. Our burst pipe first-hour guide walks through this step by step.
5. Call your insurance company or agent. Ask about any policy conditions for homes left unoccupied. Our article on working with your insurance company explains what to expect.
6. Call a restoration company. The plumber fixes the pipe. Drying out the house is a separate job.

Why Drying Matters After a Freeze-Up

In a home that sat empty while water ran, the damage is often much bigger than it looks. Water flows through ceilings, down wall cavities and under flooring, and it can travel to the levels below. Materials that stay wet can start growing mold within 24 to 48 hours, according to the EPA, and in a house that was left unattended, that clock may have started before anyone arrived.

A professional water restoration crew will:

• Extract standing water
• Use moisture meters and thermal imaging to find hidden water in walls, floors and ceilings
• Set up air movers and dehumidifiers and monitor the readings until materials are dry
• Remove what can't be saved and document it for your claim
• Handle mold cleanup if moisture has already caused growth

Valley Restoration & Construction's technicians are trained to IICRC S500 standards for water damage restoration. When the drying is done, our construction team can handle the repairs too, so one local crew sees the job through. Learn more about our water damage restoration services.

For Owners Who Live Out of State

Many Telluride homes are owned by people who live somewhere else. If that's you:

• Keep a written list of local contacts: property manager, plumber, heating technician and a restoration company.
• Give your caretaker written permission to authorize emergency work so drying can start without waiting for you to fly in.

24/7 Water Damage Help in Telluride

Valley Restoration & Construction is based in Olathe and serves Telluride, Ridgway, Ouray, Montrose, Delta, Gunnison and Crested Butte. We answer the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we'll give you a realistic arrival time based on weather and road conditions when you call.

Frozen or burst pipe in a Telluride home? Shut off the water, stay safe and call (970) 964-4437, or contact us online. For more winter tips, see our guide to preventing frozen pipes and ice dams in mountain homes.

Contact Valley Restoration or call (970) 964-4437 for help.