Cold weather leads to multiple water main breaks

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — In the past week, CFPUA crews have responded to six water main breaks in New Hanover County.

CFPUA says the water main breaks are related to the weather, specifically, they are related to the drastic changes in the temperature.

CFPUA spokeswoman Peg Hall Williams says most of the water main breaks occur in metal pipes. The cold shrinks the pipes and the heat expands them. When a pipe expands and contracts, it creates a weak point.

When the pipe has expanded and contracted too many times, it breaks. The break on a metal pipe looks almost as if someone took a saw and cut through the pipe.

The CFPUA says on a day like today, the morning temps were in the teens and will warm up through the 40s/50s. The ground will soak up the sun during that time, the pipes will warm and expand, and then we might see additional breaks during the warmer weather.

CFPUA crews install gasketed, stainless steel clamps to fix the breaks. They wrap the clamp around the pipe and it acts like a large, permanent Band-Aid.

CFPUA says there is nothing people can do to prevent pipe breaks, but appreciates the community’s patience as they conduct these repairs.