'Like Every Pipe In Colorado Froze': Plumbers Working Double Time After Frigid Weather

DENVER (CBS4) - It'll be a busy week, if not several weeks ahead for Colorado plumbers despite temperatures climbing back up from below zero.

"Once that ice pack is formed, even if it ruptures, you're probably not going to know about it until it starts to thaw," CJ Vigil, a plumber at Hi 5 Plumbing, said.

Though "insulate your pipes" is often repeated this time of the year, some older homes even with pipes running under the home are still no match for Mother Nature's freezing weather.

"Oh, my goodness gracious we have been slammed. It's like every pipe in Colorado froze on us," he said.

High 5 plumbers like Vigil are running double-time to catch up with demand.

"Here we'll have some older copper piping, and then some older galvanized steel piping, all that kind of piping, it doesn't allow for any type of expansion," he explained.

Plumbers often replace these pipes with plastic ones that are more flexible in freezing weather, but they can also be replaced before pipes burst as part of home upgrades.

"So hopefully that ice pack thaws when you're standing right underneath it, but that's pretty unlikely. Usually the case is, it starts to leak and hopefully it's not in the middle of the night or something like that, but it's going to be leaking until you find it," he said.

Vigil reiterated the need to know how to shut off all utilities.

"There's no guarantee when it comes to Colorado weather, and so the best thing we can do is prepare," Vigil added.