Shut the main valve and call (413) 603-1274. We are on Granby Road, about a mile and a half away. We fix the pipe and dry the house in one call.
Chicopee Falls homes
Chicopee Falls grew up around the mills on the Chicopee River, where companies like Ames, Overman and Spalding once made swords, bicycles and sporting goods. The housing around East Main Street, Broadway and the streets climbing up from the river is a mix of mill-era two- and three-deckers and mid-century single-family homes. Many have full basements with the water main, the meter, the water heater and the boiler all in one place.
Water main breaks and street flooding
The streets here have older water mains too. Chicopee Falls has seen main breaks in the Broadway, Cochran and Southwick Street area and on East Main Street, and East Main at Broadway has flooded in heavy rain. A break in the street is the city's to fix, but it can still drop your water pressure, push dirty water into your lines, or flood a basement on a low lot. If water is coming in from outside, see flooded basement cleanup.
What we fix in Chicopee Falls
- Pipes frozen and split along basement walls and exterior walls
- Burst pipes in multi-family homes, with water reaching lower units
- Failed water heaters flooding basements
- Main shut-off valves that stick or leak
- Outdoor faucet lines that split inside the foundation wall
See main water shut-off valve replacement and apartment and multi-family water damage.
Freeze risk near the river
Cold air settles into the river valley on still winter nights. Chicopee averages about 50 nights a winter at 20°F or colder, and the coldest snaps bring nights below zero. Pipes in unheated porches, crawl spaces under additions and exterior walls freeze first, and most bursts show up when the weather warms. See the Chicopee frozen pipes guide.
Nearby areas we also cover
Aldenville, Chicopee Center, Burnett Road and the rest of Chicopee, plus Ludlow and Springfield's Indian Orchard. See Aldenville, Chicopee Center and all areas we serve.
After a water main break on your street
When the city repairs a main, the water may be off for hours, then come back cloudy, brown or full of air. A few things protect your house:
- When the water comes back, run a cold tap in the lowest part of the house, often a laundry sink, until it runs clear.
- Do not run the washer, dishwasher or hot water until the cold runs clear, so sediment does not get pulled into appliances or the water heater.
- Clean faucet aerators if the flow is weak afterward.
- Look at your main valve and meter. Pressure swings can start drips at old fittings.
- If your basement took on water from the street, photograph it and note the date of the break.
Damage caused by a city main break may be handled differently from a burst inside your house, so tell your insurer exactly what happened. Questions about the main itself go to the Chicopee Water Department.
Mill-era buildings converted to apartments
Some of the old mill and commercial buildings near the river have been turned into apartments and lofts. These buildings often have long horizontal runs of pipe, sprinkler systems, and units stacked over each other, so one leak can reach several apartments and common hallways. Building managers should know where every zone valve is and who to call. Tenants in these buildings should report any drip from a ceiling right away, since it usually means water is moving across a floor above. See fire sprinkler pipe burst and multi-family water damage.
Steam and hot water heat in older houses
Some of the older homes in Chicopee Falls still heat with steam radiators or early hot water systems. Steam systems have their own water risks: the boiler's water level has to be kept up, a stuck automatic feeder can overfill the system and push water out through radiator vents, and return lines along the basement floor can corrode and leak. Hot water systems can freeze and split in a loop that runs along a cold wall when the boiler stops. If you see water near a radiator or under the boiler, turn the boiler off, shut its water feed, and call. Boiler repairs are for a heating technician, and we handle the water damage and the plumbing around it. See heating pipe burst.
Chicopee Falls questions
The water main broke on my street. Is my house affected?
Usually only your pressure and water quality for a while. Run cold water until it is clear after service is restored. If water got into your basement, call us.
Who fixes the pipe between the street and my house?
The city handles its side at the street. The piping inside your house is the owner's. Check with the Chicopee Water Department for their rules on the service line.
Burst pipe in Chicopee Falls? Call now
Call (413) 603-1274 now. Locally owned in Chicopee.