Serving Black Hawk
Ice Dam & Roof Leak Damage Black Hawk, CO
Snow melts over the warm roof and refreezes at the eave. The ridge of ice holds water back until it finds its way inside. Water held behind an ice dam enters slowly and keeps entering for as long as the snow and the ridge of ice remain. Ceilings and upper wall cavities near the eaves are opened where it collected, and wet insulation in the affected bays is removed.
Shut the water off first, then call
Often needed alongside
- Structural Drying
Water that ran unnoticed reaches further than it shows. Drying brings walls, floors and framing back, measured point by point.
- Vacant & Second-Home Water Damage
A leak in an occupied house is found in hours. In an empty one it runs until the next visit, and that time is the size of the loss.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the weak spots in the plumbing of a mining-era Black Hawk house?
Wherever the lines were fitted in after the fact: unheated closets, back corners, additions and the spaces under floors. Houses from that era were not built around plumbing, so the pipes often ended up in the coldest places. Knowing where they run is the first step in keeping them warm.
Is the worst of the cold in Black Hawk over by the end of January?
No. The coldest normal nights fall in February here, later than in many places, and the freezing season runs into April. A house left empty in late winter is still exposed to the hardest cold of the year, so heat and regular checks should continue well past January.
What should the owner of an old Black Hawk house know about its plumbing?
Where the lines run and where the shutoff is. Houses from the mining era were plumbed long after they were built, so lines may follow outside walls, cross unheated rooms or run beneath floors. Knowing those spots, and keeping them warm, is most of the protection against a freeze.
Return to Black Hawk for what these answers rest on.