City Considering New Code Changes To Avoid Broken Pipes During Freezing Temperatures

City of El Paso engineers are considering changing code requirements for builders and plumbers that they say could potentially prevent water pipes from bursting the next time temperatures drop severely.

It was one month ago that the borderland experienced a historic drop in temperatures that crippled the city. Water utility officials estimate the 0-degree temperatures led to 15 to 20,000 homes with frozen or broken pipes.

City engineer Alan Shubert said they’re considering requiring builders use a fairly new material for water pipes that are located above ground, which is the case for most homes in El Paso – where the water pipes run through the walls or ceiling.

Polyethylene is more affordable than copper, it expands when it freezes and is less likely to break, according to Shubert.

The city is also considering making builders install the outside service line which brings water into the home in an insulated wall. Currently, the service lines in most homes are not in a wall next to the garage and not insulated.

The proposed code requirements would apply only to new construction or remodeling projects. City council has to approve the code changes, when engineers finish the final proposal. Shubert said it’s important the changes won’t be expensive to implement since the costs would most likely be transferred from the builder to the homeowner.

“I think that if we work together and work a little bit smarter, we can make some changes for minimal cost that would affect an awful lot of what broke in that freeze,” he said.