Cold weekend could challenge pipes

The cold weather is coming, at least for the weekend, and it may mean trouble for Vermonters’ water pipes.

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Robert Layman / Staff Photo A man walks his groceries uptown in Friday’s dropping temperatures. Belowzero temperatures are predicted for today and Sunday. Published February 13, 2016 in the Rutland Herald Cold weekend could challenge pipes By Patrick McArdle STAFF WRITER The cold weather is coming, at least for the weekend, and it may mean trouble for Vermonters’ water pipes. The National Weather Service has issued a wind-chill warning — still active as of 6:30 p.m. Friday — for dangerously low temperatures, as low as 25 to 40 degrees below zero, through 7 p.m. on Sunday in central and northern Vermont. The advisory included Rutland, Montpelier, Springfield, Wallingford and Killington. Bradley Talbot, director of the Vermont Licensed Plumbers Association, said that when there’s a “very deep cold snap with very little snow cover,” the frost can go deeper than usual. “Water lines that aren’t buried deep enough end up being affected by it,” said Talbot, who is based in Randolph Center. Steve Ellerin, a plumber at Excel Plumbing and Heating, in Mendon, said he didn’t expect southern Vermont would be hit quite as hard as the northern part of the state. Just within the last two weeks, Ellerin said he had found the frost hadn’t penetrated the ground very deeply. Even with a severe cold snap, that’s unlikely to change in just a few days, Ellerin said, so the frost probably won’t reach as deep as the 4- to 7-foot depth where most water pipes are. “But I am worried about this weekend, I will tell you that,” he said. “I’m more concerned about the fact that people have probably been lulled into a false sense of security because the winter has been so mild so far.” In 2015, Ellerin said Excel was being called to homes that had never seen problems before. The cold snap this year probably won’t have the same kind of impact, but Ellerin said the owners of homes that typically have problems may have thought they avoided them this winter. This weekend could prove them wrong, he added. Talbot said he had a similar concern. “I was talking to some plumbing friends just earlier and I was telling them, ‘Look, you guys better be prepared for this weekend.’ Because I don’t think we’ve had a real cold weekend enough to start the freezing of houses and stuff that goes on, burst pipes,” he said. In a more typical winter, the kind of cold weather that might burst water pipes has already occurred. This year, the weather has been milder and not marked by the kind of extreme cold forecast for this weekend. Talbot suggested people check their insulation to be sure they were doing all they can to keep the cold air from reaching reach their pipes. In some homes, Talbot has seen the pipes freeze a foot or more into the home because of wind that was able to get through an area with little or no insulation. Talbot also reminded people that they probably wanted to keep their homes heated to at least 60 or 65 degrees. Gov. Peter Shumlin added to the caution. “Vermonters are used to cold Februaries, but the forecast for this weekend is for frigid temperatures that can be potentially dangerous,” he said in a statement. Mark Bosma, public information officer for the Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said Vermonters were being asked to take the usual precautions for dangerously cold temperatures. These include dressing in layers, checking the supply of home heating fuel to be sure it’s sufficient and checking in with neighbors, especially people who might be sick or infirm. Bosma said he expected most Vermonters, despite the mild start to the winter season, knew the cold was coming. He reminded residents they can call 211 after 4:30 p.m. if they need to arrange for temporary emergency housing or heating assistance. The mild weather has helped people who received fuel assistance stretch out those supplies, said Elizabeth Eddy, community services and outreach program manager at BROC-Community Action in Southwestern Vermont. However, after such a cold weekend, Eddy said she’s expecting there will be a number of people looking for additional help next week.