Page 6 - NOV 2018 proof 1 The Castle Pines Connection
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F6reezing water causing issues for re ghters Information and photos provided by SMFR
CastlePinesConnection.com
Turning both valves (pictured here in blue) perpendicular to the direction of a pipe will ensure the water ow from the pipe is o . If the valve is in line with the direction of the pipe, water will be owing.
While usually applying water as a solution to public safety issues, South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) re ghters have been busy tackling water as a problem in recent weeks due to the changes in the weather.
According to SMFR Public Information O cer Eric Hurst, most of the calls were for burst back ow preventers due to sprinkler systems not being drained or blown out yet. “SMFR crews met a lot of caring people who saw a ruptured pipe, didn't understand the problem or didn't know how to help, so they called the re department,” stated Hurst.
Response and mitigation are an important part of what SMFR does, and crews were able to quickly shut o the water and prevent more damage, in most cases. “People didn't
do anything
wrong by calling
South Metro,”
he stated, “but this
video (https://youtu.
be/1h6lwOFHLqU) was created to help the community prepare for and prevent water damage on their own if they are able to. Knowing where your valves are located and how to shut them o ahead of time will help reduce damage if a leak or burst pipes do occur.”
Back ow preventers have two levers, one that controls water from the home to the valve and the other controls water from the valve out to the sprinkler system. If water is seen gushing from a sprinkler head or from the back ow preventer, rotating those levers perpendicular to the pipe will shut o the ow of water. If the water doesn’t stop after turning both of those levers o , additional shuto valves inside the house will have to be used.
Sometimes winter weather sneaks up before sprinkler blowouts can occur, so
if a freeze is predicted, homeowners can always turn these valves o ahead of time, just in case, stated Hurst.
