Failure To Winterize Homes, Indoor Floods Due To Burst Frozen Water Pipes Tying Up Fire Department Resources

In Columbus, Ohio, NBC4 reports:

• Pipes in vacant homes are causing problems for fire departments around Central Ohio. Battalion Chief Doug Smith said that when utilities aren’t turned off and homeowners or banks don’t properly winterize, fire crews end up getting tied up with a major mess and not able to answer other calls, NBC 4‘s Mikaela Hunt reported.

• In those situations another fire station has to pick up the slack. Some of the vacant properties are due to foreclosure.

• Hunt visited a vacant house in Genoa Township, where the chief there said the water probably had been running for a week. The ceiling fell in and water was spilling out the door.

Source: Frozen Pipes Cause Problems In Vacant Homes.

See also, The Columbus Dispatch: Weather has pipes bursting (Frozen lines common as vacant homes increase):

• [F]irefighters have responded to 69 calls of damaged pipes so far this month, compared with 33 calls during January last year, [battalion chief Doug] Smith said.

Go here for more on freezing pipes in vacant homes. frozenpipetheta ForeclosureHomeVacantBeta

Emergency Water Shutoffs By Public Works Officials On Upswing As Bursting Frozen Pipes In Vacant, Abandoned Homes Create Havoc

In Worcester, Massachusetts, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports:

• Annoyed public works officials say the winter freeze has them conducting more emergency water shut-offs because of burst pipes at vacant or abandoned homes, many of them in the foreclosure process. The foreclosure piece compounds the problem, officials in Worcester, Southbridge and Fitchburg said this week.

***

• “Right now, folks are abandoning the house and the last thing they care about is the heat in the house,” Konstantin Eliadi, Worcester director of water and sewer operations, said Tuesday. In some instances, the water practically races out of basement windows. “It’s an issue that we never had before,” Mr. Eliadi said. The only thing the department can do is shut the valves off in the street, he said.

***

• On Monday, water from a burst pipe in a vacant home reached a West Street sidewalk, where a small child slipped on the ice. The child suffered a facial injury and was taken by ambulance to Harrington Memorial Hospital, according to police and DPW officials. “It’s one of those crazy things that you wouldn’t think of,” said Southbridge Police Chief Daniel R. Charette, adding that vacant properties are also susceptible to break-ins and rodents.

For more, see Pipes bursting in vacant homes (Foreclosures leave sites unattended).

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Frozen Bursted Water Pipes A Problem In Some Vacant Homes; Melting Ice Inside Home Expected To Create Mold Problems, Says City Inspector

In Omaha, Nebraska, WOWT-TV Channel 6 reports:

• Home foreclosures that turn into neighborhood eyesores when unpaid utilities lead to broken water pipes are happening more often. Channel 6 News first reported about one such house in Bellevue. The problem has spread to Omaha. [...] "We'll send notice to the bank and give them a short time for them to correct this,” says Omaha Chief Inspector Kevin Denker, who has photos from another abandoned house in northeast Omaha with the heat turned off, but not the water. “When it warms up and this ice melts it's going to lead to more water damage on the inside, mold, mildew and then other issues."

***

• There’s ice formed around the shut-off electrical box [in one vacant home]. MUD says the homeowner had the water turned off in January, but someone turned it back on, until neighbors complained of a flood pouring out of the windows. [...] The mortgage company will be notified to start cleanup soon because health problems aren't frozen in time. Mold will grow fast after the spring thaw.

For more, see More Pipes Bursting In Empty Houses (Unless reported by neighbors, mess goes unchecked).

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Buying/Selling Vacant Foreclosed Homes In Cold Weather Regions Not A "Winter Wonderland"

In the St. Paul / Minneapolis area of Minnesota, the Pioneer Press reports:

• [W]hether it's water heaters that have exploded like frozen pop cans, snow-covered walks and roofs, or indoor temperatures that make you want to warm up outside, unique promises await those who try to sell foreclosed homes during winter in Minnesota.

***

• Once inside, the potential buyer of a foreclosure will learn quickly whether the home has been properly "winterized." That means shutting off the water, draining pipes and emptying the water heater to prevent freezing, [...].

• Plumbers who do the work also will dump antifreeze down the kitchen sink and the toilet, [...] and drain water from radiators and the boiler where needed. Failure to winterize can result in burst pipes and radiators and even cracked toilet tanks.

• Potential buyers must have foreclosed properties "de-winterized" to perform good inspections, said John Piché, an agent with Century 21 Jay Blank in Roseville who specializes in foreclosed homes. That can mean anywhere from $100 to $300 to get water back into the house so a buyer can see whether the plumbing is in good condition. [...] Piché recalled one case where de-winterizing a foreclosed home revealed a broken release valve on the water heater. The valve had blown off, so the only way for the buyer to test the system was to pay $100 for a plumber to bypass the tank, Piché said. In the end, he said, the buyer opted against the purchase, because the de-winterization revealed cracks in the radiators.

For more, see Winter takes toll on efforts to sell homes in foreclosure (Burst pipes, snow-covered roofs, higher inspection costs add to buyer's burden).

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Beware Of Mother Nature As She Poses Threat To Vacant, Foreclosed Homes

In Rochester, Minnesota, KAAL-TV Channel 6 ran a story that should serve as a reminder to lenders and mortgage servicers nationwide that, as the cold weather season approaches, they should begin winterizing (dumping anti-freeze into the plumbing pipes, among other things) all the vacant, foreclosed homes they're stuck with and haven't been able to unload before Mother Nature begins to wreak havoc on them by freezing up and destroying all the copper plumbing pipes(1) contained in these houses (and likely to be followed by flooded basements, moldy drywall, soggy carpets, etc. after the thaw).

• The calls [plumbing contractor] Paul Link and his team are getting are mainly from bankers and realtors...hiring him to winterize foreclosed properties in the area. "If the house is not heated, it's going to freeze up and all the pipes will freeze and break and even if the water is shut off the water in the pipes will still freeze and break,” says Link.

For more, see Winterizing Foreclosed Homes.

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(1) Assuming the copper thieves haven't already gotten to them. frozenpipetheta

Fire Inspector Gives Residents In 40-Unit Building In Foreclosure The Boot As Water From Burst Frozen Pipes Floods Premises

In Dayton, Ohio, the Dayton Daily News reports:

• The freeze-thaw cycle from the recent cold spell apparently caused pipes in an apartment building to burst on Thursday, Jan. 22, sending water cascading through ceilings and displacing as many as 10 residents. Dayton firefighters dispatched to 27 Central Ave. at 4:07 p.m. found water gushing throughout the 40-unit, three-story building and at least 3 feet of standing water in the basement.

• Fire Inspector Andrew Steele told all the residents to leave and firefighters shut off the water, electric and gas service to the three-story building. Steele said residents told him that pipes froze last week, apparently were never repaired, and residents were using bottled water to flush toilets, bathe and eat.

• At least two adult residents have requested assistance from the Red Cross, which will help with housing and clothing and other necessities. According to Steele, the owner of the building lives in California and the building went into foreclosure recently. There was no immediate estimate of the damage caused to the building or its contents.

Source: Pipes at apartment building burst, force out residents.

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Failure To Winterize Can Lead To Vacant Home Havoc

The following stories provide emphasis to the importance of winterizing vacant homes, foreclosed or not, located in cold weather areas to avoid the havoc caused by frozen, broken, bursted water pipes:

• Banks Not Taking Care of Foreclosed Houses During Winter: The huge temperature swings and frozen pipes this winter are causing huge damage to houses no longer in use.

• Foreclosures leading to more unattended burst pipes: Winter weather is causing a soggy new headache for towns and cities working to keep foreclosed homes from becoming safety hazards: water pipes that freeze and burst in empty houses. Municipal officials say when these problems spring up, they usually happen in homes partway through the foreclosure process, or taken over by far-away or financially troubled mortgage companies. The residents have left, and power and heat are shut off. But the water is still on, and pipes and water heaters have not been drained. They freeze when temperatures drop, sometimes bursting the pipes as the ice expands, and the water flows out freely when they thaw. Once a home floods after the burst water pipes thaw, unless you get the wet drywall and rugs out, mold will start growing.

• Pipes burst, flood vacant Marlborough house: A water pipe inside a vacant house on Millham Street in Malborough, Massachusetts broke last week and caused the building to flood, a recurring issue in the city, a fire official said. Water was running from the second floor to the first floor and into the basement after the pipe apparently froze and then blew, said Deputy Chief Ron Ayotte. "We've had a rash of them lately," Ayotte said. "That's what happens when you don't winterize a house." Many similar calls concern foreclosed houses, said Ayotte, who believes the Millham Street house had been in foreclosure. A lot of vacant properties, including the Millham Street house, are not winterized, Ayotte said.

• Princeton renters suddenly without homes due to foreclosure: A vacant unit in a foreclosed apartment building in Princeton, Minnesota was apparently not winterized properly so a water pipe froze and then burst sending water down into the apartment directly below Christmas Eve. As a result, the water utility shut off the water for the complex and residents say they were told they need to move out by New Years Eve. Residents say because they're not getting their damage deposits back, they have no money for new damage deposits and moving expenses for new apartments.

• New Minnesota State Law Prevents Frozen Pipes in Foreclosed Homes (Mold, bursting pipes among destruction in metro foreclosures): According to the new law, city inspectors are allowed to find out where utility companies have disconnected gas and electric services, so they can shut off water at the curb and keep pipes from bursting inside, which would help avoid the additional damage done by flooding when the pipes thaw. Sometimes the damage from foreclosed homes is so severe, the homes are dubbed “ice houses.” The water damage often leads to mold, destroying walls and entire homes.

• Irwin Man Tries To Thaw Pipe, Starts Fire: An Irwin, Pennsylvania man trying to thaw a frozen pipe in his home apparently started a house fire. Several fire departments responded to the fire on Chestnut Street after it broke out. Officials say the homeowner was trying to thaw out the pipe with a kerosene torch.

• Protect pipes during winter’s deep freeze: In River Falls, Wisconsin, Liberty Plumbing owner Bob Kolashinski sees it every winter as Mother Nature delivers frigid temperatures and wicked wind chills: Any pipe carrying water can freeze. Liberty has seen a rise in calls on problems in foreclosed homes, where the heat is usually off. Since furnaces can fail, Kolashinski said the only foolproof way to prevent freezing is to shut off water at the main valve, drain all the fixtures and pour RV antifreeze into the pipes’ p-traps. Kolashinski said people living in townhomes or condos shouldn’t be lulled into thinking heat from other units will keep their pipes from freezing. That ambient heat is seldom enough.

• More Pipes Bursting In Empty Houses (Unless reported by neighbors, mess goes unchecked): Home foreclosures that turn into neighborhood eyesores when unpaid utilities lead to broken water pipes are happening more often. The mortgage company will be notified to start cleanup soon because health problems aren't frozen in time. Mold will grow fast after the spring thaw.

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Connection Between Fires & Frozen Pipes

Stories illustrating the connection between fires and water pipes freezing up from the extreme cold weather are coming in from around the country. Here are a few:

• Wheeling, West Virginia: Wheeling firefighters said a man trying to fix frozen pipes ended up setting his home on fire Monday morning in Elm Grove. Fire Chief Larry Helms said the homeowner accidentally caught the wall on fire, which then spread the upper floor of the home. No one was hurt and the homeowner did make it out OK. Frozen Pipe Fix To Blame For Wheeling Fire.

• Winona, Minnesota: A West End home was damaged by fire Thursday evening after plumbers used a torch to thaw pipes earlier in the day. Officials suspect the torch started the fire. No one was injured. Fire crews tore into the exterior wall with chainsaws and axes, searching for flames as smoke seeped from the siding. Frozen pipes lead to fire.

• New Brunswick, New Jersey: A small afternoon fire between the basement and first floor of a city home was quickly extinguished by responding officials a couple of weeks ago. Reportedly, the fire was started when the homeowner attempted to defrost a frozen water pipe on an exterior wall with a heat gun. When the copper piping got hot, some of the wood framing around it caught on fire. Official: New Brunswick homeowner caused fire attempting to fix frozen pipe.

• Kingsley, Pennsylvania: A recent fire that destroyed a house on Main Avenue was caused by attempts to thaw frozen water pipes, according to Red Cross officials at the scene. Frozen-pipe repair leads to house fire.

• Oakwood, Illinois: The family of a local member of the military suffered a blow Saturday when its house burned to the ground. The house is considered a total loss. Fire Chief Tony Frye said the fire was caused by a forced air heater placed in the crawl space underneath the house to warm frozen pipes. He said it’s unknown what was ignited by the heater, although there was some straw in the crawlspace of the home. He said a door left open combined with a hole in the floor of the house from repairs helped the flames spread quickly through the building. “I can’t believe it’s all gone” (Soldier's house a total loss).

• Columbia, Missouri: A malfunctioning heat tape meant to keep pipes from freezing likely caused a trailer fire, according to a news release from the Columbia Fire Department. Investigators said either the heat tape placed on a pipe near the home’s water heater or its extension cord ignited the fire that caused an estimated $50,000 in damages. Batallion Chief Steven Sapp said heating tape is like an electrical blanket for pipes. It is supposed to shut itself off after reaching a certain temperature, but if not installed properly, it can get too hot. Trailer fire caused by electrical malfunction, fire officials say.

• Livonia, Michigan: Livonia fire officials are warning the public about cold weather-related fires after battling six structural fires this week, most of which were caused by people trying to stay warm. One fire started when a resident used a blow torch to heat a frozen pipe. Livonia firefighters battle 6 blazes in 5 days.

• Richmond, Indiana: Preparation is the best way to keep water pipes from freezing when temperatures plunge. But, when they do, open flames are certain no-nos in thawing them: "It sure isn't a blow torch," said Bobby Farris, deputy chief of fire prevention for the Richmond Fire Department. Flames of any kind carry a risk of engulfing a home in minutes -- or even hours later. "You're taking that chance," Farris said. "You might think you have it out, but it could be sitting there smoldering." That's apparently what happened recently at a home being renovated. A fire there was extinguished within minutes after firefighters arrived. It caused about $7,500 in damages. No one was injured. A worker had been trying to thaw pipes with a torch earlier in the day and the radiant heat caught material inside the wall on fire, said Battalion Chief Jerry Purcell. Thaw pipes with care.

• Farmington, Connecticut: A heating element installed to keep pipes from freezing may have been the cause of a morning fire on East Shore Boulevard. Reportedly, fire officials believe the fire resulted from efforts to keep water pipes from freezing, but the Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause. Fire possibly caused by pipe-heating apparatus.

• Kittitas County, Washington: According to Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue Deputy Fire Chief Rich Elliott, there have been about six structure fires since winter started. There has been one reported fire caused by improper thawing of a pipe. Fire safety tips for local residents in winter weather.

• Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Don’t use open flame butane torches to thaw frozen water pipes. That’s the message from Assistant Fire Marshal Carl Peas of Murfreesboro Fire Department. When Friday’s temperatures dipped to single digits, maintenance workers using butane torches to thaw frozen water pipes at Chelsea Place apartments, the fire department reported. The flames caused a fire resulting in $50,000 damage to four apartments on Bradyville Pike. Also, a resident used a butane torch to thaw pipes at his home. The flame burned insulation and dryer lint under his home. “Never use open flames” to thaw frozen water pipes, Peas said. An open flame used on copper pipes could catch a structure on fire. “Once it gets into the wall, you can’t see it. The fire can run up the wall to the attic.” Butane torch blamed in Chelsea Place fire.

• Madison, Wisconsin: On Jan. 15, a maintenance worker using a torch to thaw frozen pipes ignited insulation in a wall near the pipes, with the subsequent fire causing $50,000 in damages. Torches blamed in 2 structure fires.

• Johnstown, Pennsylvania: A fire marshal determined that the cause of a recent home fire was a space heater. “The heater was used to thaw frozen pipes,” Johnstown fire Chief Tony Kovacic said. “Either the space heater lit materials it was too close to or the space heater had some sort of failure.“Obviously, we’re going to have a lot of pipe issues in the cold weather,” Kovacic said. “Be cautious when you try to thaw (frozen pipes).” City firefighters battle Prospect blaze.

• Petrolia, Ontario: A tenant thawing frozen water pipes with a gas heater in a crawl space was the source of a house fire that caused $130,000 damage to a Petrolia home, the deputy fire chief says. Don Harding, of the Petrolia and North Enniskillen Fire Department, said when he arrived at the home, flames were "shooting out the crawl space" from exposed floor joists that has caught fire. The fire went up the east wall and reached the roof before it was contained. Harding said there was no evidence of pipe wrapping or heater/tracer wire to keep pipes unfrozen at the house. Gas heater caused blaze (DAMAGES ESTIMATED AT MORE THAN $130,000).

Go here for links to other recent stories on frozen pipe problems.

For lenders, mortgage loan servicers and other property owners and managers looking for tips on dealing with frozen pipes, see:

• How To Deal With Frozen Pipes In Extreme Cold Weather,
• More ways to stop frozen pipes and what to do if they burst! frozenpipetheta ForeclosureHomeVacantBeta

"Please Turn Off The Water On Your Way Out," Town Officials Tell Owners Abandoning Homes Facing Foreclosure In Battle Against Bursting Water Pipes

In Goshen, New York, The Chronicle reports:

• A rash of busted pipes is one consequence of the foreclosure crisis in Goshen. Trustee Susan Bloom on Monday night reported that several water mains broke in foreclosed houses where the water was not turned off. Bursting pipes not only damage houses, which need to be repaired before they can be sold, but cost the village money too, Bloom said.

***

• Although people involved in foreclosure may no longer care about the condition of the house, [Trustee Marcia Mattheus] said, she urged anyone planning to leave their house vacant to shut off the water first to prevent the destruction that broken water pipes cause.

For the story, see Burst pipes in foreclosed houses causing problems for village.

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