A Water damage from a burst heating pipe in Estes Park

A frozen heating system in Estes Park spread water all over the place.

PuroClean Disaster Response was called to Estes Park when a baseboard heating system pipe froze, ruptured and spread water throughout the home.  While Estes Park is truly a mountain wonderland it can get really cold during the winter and the freezing temperatures combined with some other structure issues caused a flood throughout the entire ground floor of this Estes Park home.  This home had been renovated to divide the ground floor and the second floor into two separate residences.  During that renovation the piping for the baseboard water heat was placed within an exterior concrete wall.  With no insulation on the pipe it was only a matter of time until it got cold enough to freeze that water line.  Nature rules, the pipe froze, ruptured and sprayed water throughout the home.

When we arrived on the job, we found the homeowner using a “Rug Doctor” they had rented to try to remove the moisture from the carpets.  The “Rug Doctor” is a home carpet cleaner but it’s not designed to extract large amounts of water from a flooded environment.  We set up our water extraction equipment and started removing water at a much faster pace.  The plumbers were still working on repairs so we had to work around them to finish the extraction in the same room.  Moisture measurements then showed that the entire carpet was saturated as well as the trim work and a small section of drywall in one corner of the room where the leak started.

The insurance adjuster decided that the carpet was beyond salvage and instructed us to remove it.  We completed removal of the carpet and pad then cleaned the floor to finishing up the extraction portion of this job.  As soon as the plumbers were finished we placed our drying equipment; dehumidifiers and high volume air movers, to start the drying process.  All of the affected materials had to be dried including the concrete floor.  Drying thoroughly is absolutely required before new flooring can be laid down as well as to ensure that no secondary damage such as mold occurs.   After a few days with daily monitoring we had succeeded in drying the floor, all the trim and the drywall without further demolition being necessary.

We work with all insurance companies.  Whether we will be paid by the insurance company directly or by the homeowner after they receive insurance payment we will always work with insurance adjusters to make sure our work is covered and that no body gets surprised.  Keeping in constant communication with insurance adjusters and homeowners guarantees that all parties agree on the work being done and the process for payment.