Are Frozen Mainlines Hurting Your Operation?
As temperatures drop, frozen pipes and water main breaks become a major threat to utilities. When water freezes inside pipes, it expands, causing pressure build-up, cracks, and catastrophic bursts. The result? Sudden surges of water loss costly emergency repairs, and disruptions to service.
In many areas, utilities already face significant water loss on average, and freezing conditions make it even worse. If you don’t take action now, your system could be the next to experience a major failure.
How Frozen Pipes Lead to Massive Water Loss
- Expansion & Pipe Breaks: Ice formation increases pressure inside pipes, causing them to crack or burst.
- Leak Masking: In freezing weather, small leaks remain hidden under snow and ice, worsening unnoticed.
- Ground Movement: Frost heave shifts pipes, stressing joints and leading to infrastructure failures.
- Water Demand Spike: When pipes freeze, pressure builds elsewhere, leading to bursts in weak sections of the system.
Act Now Before Frozen Pipes Cost You Millions
- Assess your system’s winter risk—Are your pipes properly insulated, supported, and compacted?
- Inspect and repair leaks early—Don’t let small cracks turn into major failures.
- Secure funding for critical upgrades—Apply for state and federal grants to strengthen your infrastructure.
How to Prevent Water Main Freezing & Water Loss
- Ensure Proper Pipe Bedding & Support
- Use 6 inches of bedding below and 12 inches of bedding above to prevent shifting and stress cracks.
- Make sure to research and understand the frost depths in your area. Some places in Colorado have a minimum bury depth for waterlines of 9 feet.
- If your pipe does not meet the minimum bury depth, a short-term solution can be using the blueboard detail below.
- Prevent Ground Shifting with Proper Compaction
- Pipe Zone: Requires 90% Standard Proctor Density (SPD) to provide a stable foundation.
- Roadways & Street R.O.W.: Requires 95% SPD to prevent pipe fractures under heavy loads.
- Test compaction every foot to ensure proper ground stability and reduce risks of frost damage.
Use the Right Backfill Material
- Avoid large rocks, frozen debris, and organic matter that create weak spots and settlement issues.
- Poor-quality backfill reduces pipe integrity, making them more vulnerable to breaks in cold weather.
Detect Leaks Before Freezing Makes Them Worse
- Conduct a winter leak detection audit using acoustic sensors, pressure monitoring, and video inspections.
- Prioritize repair before peak freezing conditions to prevent small leaks from turning into full-scale main breaks.
Secure Funding for Infrastructure Upgrades
- The State Revolving Fund (SRF) and USDA Rural Development Grants can help finance leak detection, mainline rehabilitation, and emergency repairs.
- Investing in prevention now saves thousands in emergency repairs later.
Don’t wait until it’s too late—protect your system from frozen mainline failures today.
Need Expert Help?
Contact us at (214) 833-6748 or email info@mod-eng.com to discuss how we can help safeguard your water system this winter.