Bitter Cold Taking It's Toll On Building Pipes

DENVER (CBS4) - The cold is starting to take its toll on schools as three Denver metro area schools are closed because of broken pipes and Platte Canyon Schools had a delayed start Friday morning after power outages canceled class on Thursday.

The recent winter storm isn't just felt outside, it can be seen inside.

"I came downstairs to make coffee and the faucet wouldn't turn on, no water," Marnie Kamensky said. "We immediately thought 'frozen pipes.' "

Kamensky called plumbers before water flooded her home.

"It's frustrating not having water while he's fixing it, but at least we caught it," she said.

But some schools in the metro area weren't so lucky.

"They are definitely keeping us busy," John Murphy with Applewood Plumbing, Heating and Electric said.

The extreme cold caused a pipe to burst at Academia Ana Marie Sandoval in Denver on Wednesday. School officials say there's severe flood damage that will keep the campus closed until Monday.

A broken heating pipe leaking a noxious odor is keeping doors at Englewood's Bishop Elementary School closed until Monday.

With the bitter temps sticking around plumbing companies are expecting more calls and possibly worse damage.

"The damage can be worse depending on the exposure and how long the exposure is," Murphy said.

Frozen pipes aren't too uncommon in Colorado this time of year, but with the arctic chill hovering, many more pipes could burst.