Serving Grand Junction
Snowmelt & Runoff Flooding Grand Junction, CO
A winter of snow melts in a few weeks. Frozen or saturated ground sends it toward the lowest point, which is often a basement. Melt water follows the snowpack's calendar rather than the weather's, and the source usually keeps running for weeks. The entry point is found and the lower walls and floors are opened where water reached them.
First question on the call: how long was it empty?
Often needed alongside
- Emergency Water Extraction
Standing water removed before it travels further into the building - the first step after any failure, and the one that shows how far the water went.
- Structural Drying
Water that ran unnoticed reaches further than it shows. Drying brings walls, floors and framing back, measured point by point.
- Sewage & Septic Backup Cleanup
A septic system that cannot drain - frozen lines, thawing ground - sends water back to the lowest drain in the building. It is sewage whatever it looks like.
Frequently asked questions
How are water lines on a Grand Junction mobile home protected from freezing?
Usually by skirting that closes in the space under the home and by heat tape wrapped on the supply line where it rises from the ground. Both fail quietly. A skirting panel knocked loose or a heat tape that stopped working in a mild winter only shows itself in the first hard cold spell, which is why they are worth checking each fall.
If winters here are mild, why do pipes still freeze in Grand Junction?
Because mild winters make it easy to leave lines unprotected. Most nights in the valley stay above the point that threatens plumbing, so garage runs and lines under mobile homes go unwrapped. Then a January cold spell brings several hard nights in a row, and the exposed lines are the first to go, often in homes whose owners are away.
What should a Grand Junction renter know before leaving for the holidays?
Where the water shutoff for the home is, whether the heat should be left on and at what setting, and whom to call if a neighbor reports water. Many renters have never been shown the shutoff. Asking the landlord before leaving takes a few minutes; finding it in the dark after a pipe has split takes much longer.
Return to Grand Junction for what these answers rest on.