An early freeze in October is now biting people in the pocketbook.
“Oct. 10, it got down to 16 degrees,” said Bob Schaefer of Schaefer Lawn Sprinklers in Lakewood. “That day is burned into my memory forever. Every sprinkler system in Denver that was not protected in some way has some type of freeze damage because of that storm.”
Now that the weather is warmer, the nasty surprise hits: People may turn on their sprinkler system and be greeted with a geyser in the face.
“It’s just crazy,” said Schaefer. “I have four phone lines, and I’m getting calls every 30 seconds.”
There is consternation and confusion.
“When it first blows, people aren’t sure what to do,” said Ben Henry of Underground Sprinkler Corps in Parker. “I tell them, first thing, turn the water off.”
The problem usually is that frozen water in the backflow device has damaged the internal parts.
“It causes a big, old gusher outside the house,” said Chris Willis, spokesman for the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado.
Lawn Services Inc. of Denver also is swamped with calls. “It’s our busy season anyway, but more than usual because the backflow has cracked, mostly because of the early freeze,” said owner Sally Wildy.
What is an emergency for the homeowner isn’t just as urgent for the sprinkler-repair people, many of whom are already booked solid.
“I’m up to my eyeballs,” said Henry.
Over at Schaefer Lawn Sprinklers, technicians are booked solid through the first week in May — and that’s 12 hours a day, six days a week.
“People are acting like they’re mad because we can’t get to them quicker,” Schaefer said.
“It’s frustrating for me as a business owner. People wonder why we don’t hire more people, but good technicians are hard to find.”
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083 or coconnor@denverpost.com
