Pipes, water mains bursting

Arctic temperatures, snow and bitter wind are disrupting more than the flow of traffic along Topeka's streets.

Just 4 feet below the city's snowpacked roads lies a massive system of plastic tubing and metal pipes able to harness a tidal wave of water at the turn of a lever. But man-made parts often crumble under the force of nature.

At least 37 Topeka water mains have burst since Dec. 24, said Don Rankin, Topeka Water Department superintendent. Despite the higher-than-normal breaks, he said the city experienced about 500 breaks in 2009, roughly 250 less than expected.

"It's the cold," Rankin said. "It's the main cause now for water main breaks."

Whether 2 or 12 inches in diameter, Rankin said temperatures, as well as the location and depth of a water main, are key reasons for a failure in the water system during the cold season. Like the pipes in a building, Rankin said nearly any main can break under the force of frozen water.

"They can be caused by the weather, by water getting cold or the frost line getting down to the water main," Rankin said.

The majority of the city's water lines are buried between 3 and 4 feet beneath the ground. While pipes buried lower may better withstand freezing, Rankin said deeper pipes cost more to install.

For cities like Topeka, the unusually cold weather is resulting in higher-than-average water main breaks. And forecasts of continued cold weather this weekend likely will mean more breaks along city streets.

"We have people on standby now," Rankin said Friday. "We're staying busy doing some maintenance. But we can only repair breaks."

Weather-related problems aren't exclusive to the city's water system, as hundreds of residents look for help thawing pipes in their homes.

Charlie Campbell, plumbing service manager with McElroy's Inc., 3209 S.W. Topeka Blvd., said he had received calls about broken or frozen water lines daily since cold weather settled in Topeka.

"We've been tremendously busy," Campbell said.

The majority of residential problems are a result of incorrect installation or failure to maintain household plumbing, he said. Most problems, Campbell said, occur when water lines are situated in cold, drafty locations.

"We typically get a call when someone has already tried to make a repair or it's an emergency," Campbell said. "Rarely do I find a frozen pipe that was put in correctly, insulated properly and maintained properly. Pipes are either in a spot where there is a draft, where there is a crack in the structure or where insulation fell out."

Like most home maintenance, Campbell said preventative measures may help save homeowners headaches that occur during cold weather. Worse, he said, are catastrophic results that happen when improper methods are used to repair problems.

Topeka fire officials said an apartment fire Friday appears to have started from a heat gun being used to thaw a frozen pipe.

Topeka Fire Marshal Greg Bailey said cold weather also can cause problems for firefighters.

"Now that the snow is starting to become frozen and hard, we could have to break snow down to get to some hydrants," Bailey said. "We require a 36-inch clearance from the side of a hydrant, so we ask people not to pile snow on them."

Bailey said fire crews this year have yet to find any nonworking hydrants as a result of water main breaks.

As for water main breaks throughout the city, Rankin said crews must wait until the weather warms to make repairs to roadways. Typical costs to repair roads damaged by water main breaks are between $20,000 and $60,000, he said.

"It needs to be 30 degrees or above to pour concrete," Rankin said. "Unfortunately, we can't do that work now."