It is that time of year again for New Yorker’s, the temperatures have begun to drop and the city will experience a surge in broken water mains.
Why do water mains break in cold weather?
It is more common for a water main to crack or leak when the water in your pipes begin to freeze and expand. The expansion of your pipes will exacerbate any minor pre-existing issues within your water line, finally pushing the weakest point of your pipe into leak mode.
It is not only the freezing conditions that lead to our water mains leaking, it is also due to a change in temperature. When going from warm weather to cold, or from cold to warm, the surge in broken water mains are expected. It is the change in temperature that causes the ground to shift, a small shift in the ground will cause an old and corroded pipe to start leaking. In many cases the pipe may have a small leak for many months before it surfaces above ground. You can only hope by this time that it has not caused any major issues to the surrounding property or created dangerous conditions for the surrounding neighbors.
What to do when frozen pipes burst below ground?
First call a NYC Licensed and DOT Bonded Plumber. Everyone has a household plumber however, most plumbers cannot perform subsurface water main and sewer installations below the city sidewalk or roadway. Once you have located the correct type of plumber, you should obtain a detailed cost estimate, including the total cost for your water line replacement. It is important to confirm that the plumber will restore any cement that has broken, roadway asphalt that has been excavated and install a new control valve on the inside of the building. Assuming you feel comfortable, it is always suggested to hire the plumber right away and have him work on an emergency basis to avoid the water leaking for weeks and causing any secondary issues with your home or neighbors’ homes.
What does the water main install process look like?
In a recent scenario the water leak was surfacing in the roadway which is how the homeowner became aware of the problem. Surprising to most, just because freezing weather has caused your pipe to spring a heavy leak, it does not necessarily mean that your home will suffer from low water pressure. The crew must start digging in the street to locate the city connection where they can stop the water leak.
Digging for water main |
Once the water is off the rest of the water main crew can continue digging and blow tunnels below ground with compressed air.
Digging continues |
Making tunnels |
Now that the tunnels are completed the new pipe is installed from one hole, to the next.
Water main is installed |
Then finally connected back to the city main and the internal house piping.
Connection to city water main |
New connection inside |
How to prevent freezing or cracked pipes?
It is always suggested to make sure your water line is installed below the frost line which may differ from state to state. It is also suggested to insulate the new water line if it is exposed to cold conditions, near a trap door or a room with no heat.
If you have experienced frozen pipes and want to avoid this from occurring again, it is always suggested to leave a small and steady stream of water running in one of your faucets. It is a lot less common for water to freeze if the water is moving inside of the pipe.
