Water damage advice for Cheyenne homeowners

What we write about here

Not general advice copied from somewhere else. Everything on this page is about how water damage actually happens in Cheyenne and Laramie County, which is a specific climate with specific failure modes.

Winter dominates. Cheyenne sits at over 6,000 feet on the high plains, January averages a low near 14°F, and the cold arrives fast rather than gradually. Frozen and burst pipes are the largest single category of insured loss in Wyoming, ahead of wind and hail. Most of what we respond to between November and March starts with a line in an unheated space.

Spring is the other half. Meltwater cannot soak into ground that is still frozen underneath, so it runs along the surface, collects against foundations and finds a way through. That is why a basement can take water on a dry March afternoon.

The aim is that you can act on each piece without calling anybody, including us. If an article tells you to shut a valve and open the taps, that is because doing it yourself in the first five minutes saves more than anything we do in the first hour.

The Cheyenne year, roughly

Water damage here is seasonal in a way it is not in milder places. Knowing which failure belongs to which month is most of the prevention.

• November to February. Frozen and burst supply lines, almost always in a crawl space, a garage, or a wall on the outside of the house. Water heaters fail more often in cold months because they work harder.
• March and April. Snowmelt against foundations, sump pumps that sat unused all winter and will not start, and window wells with nowhere to drain. This is peak flooded basement season and it catches people out because the weather is pleasant.
• May to August. High plains thunderstorms that drop a lot of water quickly, clogged downspouts, and roof leaks that show up as a ceiling stain days later.
• All year. Appliance supply lines, failed wax rings under upstairs toilets, and sewer backups through basement floor drains. These do not care what month it is.

Where to start

• Heading into winter, read the frozen pipes guide and find your main shut-off valve while it is light and dry.
• If something has already failed, skip the reading and call. Then photograph everything before you move it.