Drain Cleaning in Cripple Creek, CO

Cripple Creek homes and their sewer lines

Most homes date from the gold rush of the 1890s and early 1900s, many small frame houses on steep streets, with old cast iron and clay drains.

Newer homes and manufactured homes sit on the edges of town and on acreage in the surrounding hills.

The City of Cripple Creek operates the public sewer. Homes outside town use septic.

Cripple Creek drain problems

Frozen drains are the biggest winter issue at 9,500 feet, in crawlspaces, exterior walls and empty houses. Old cast iron scales and cracks, and clay laterals break where the ground shifts on steep, mined hillsides. Homes out toward Victor and the gold district back up when a septic tank goes too long between pumpings.

What drain work usually costs in Cripple Creek

The gold camp at 9,500 feet

Cripple Creek boomed after gold was found in the 1890s, becoming one of the richest gold districts in the world. Two fires in 1896 destroyed most of the business district, which was rebuilt in brick within months. Many of the small frame houses on the hillsides around downtown date from those years. Their drain systems have been patched and replaced in pieces over more than a century.

Cold is the main enemy

At about 9,500 feet, Cripple Creek gets some of the coldest winter nights of any town on this site. Drains in crawlspaces, exterior walls and unheated additions freeze quickly, and many older homes were built with little or no insulation. A home left empty with the heat turned down can freeze in a single night. Keeping heat on, sealing drafts and insulating exposed pipe matter more here than almost anywhere.

Mined ground and shifting pipe

The hills around Cripple Creek are honeycombed with old mine workings, and parts of town sit on fill and disturbed ground. Ground that settles over the years can shift buried pipe, breaking clay joints or creating sags. If a camera shows an offset or a sag in a Cripple Creek lateral, ground movement is a likely cause, and the repair plan should account for it.

Casino-era changes

Limited stakes gaming came to Cripple Creek in 1991, and the town changed quickly. Many historic buildings downtown became casinos, and some homes became rentals for workers. Those rentals put more load on old lines. Landlords do well to scope laterals between tenants and to keep a clear list of what not to flush.

Homes outside town

On acreage around Cripple Creek and toward Victor, homes rely on septic systems in rocky, cold ground. Lines between the house and tank can freeze in a dry winter with little snow cover. Mark the tank and cleanout, leave snow in place over the line, and pump the tank on schedule.

Winter steps for a Cripple Creek home

1. 01

   Keep heat on

   Even when away; set it high enough to protect outer walls.

2. 02

   Seal drafts

   Especially around crawlspace openings.

3. 03

   Use a temperature alert

   A remote sensor warns before pipes freeze.

4. 04

   Mark the cleanout

   So it can be found under snow.

Cripple Creek drain warning signs

• Drains that stop on a cold morning
• Gurgling from an old toilet
• Sewer smell after a house sat empty
• A slow main line on a steep street
• Ice around an outside cleanout

Steep streets and access

Cripple Creek's residential streets climb steep hillsides, and many homes sit above or below the street. In winter, ice can make access hard. Tell the plumber about steep driveways, stairs and parking when you call, and clear a path to the cleanout if you can.

What affects the cost in Cripple Creek

Simple clogs are routine. Thawing frozen lines, old laterals, shifting ground, septic lines and winter access take more time. A camera inspection after a main line clog shows what you're dealing with.

Victor and the district

A few miles south, Victor is Cripple Creek's twin town in the old gold district, with the same old houses, steep streets and cold winters. Large-scale gold mining still operates between the two towns. Homes throughout the district share the same drain challenges: century-old pipe, frozen lines and rocky ground.

Rentals for casino workers

Some older Cripple Creek homes house several workers at once. More people put more grease, hair and paper through an old lateral that was built for a small family. A strainer in every tub and shower, a trash can in every bathroom and a grease can in the kitchen go a long way.

Remodeling an old Cripple Creek house

Remodeling a gold-rush-era house is a chance to fix its drains. While floors and walls are open, have the drain lines scoped, replace old cast iron and galvanized pipe where needed and add an accessible cleanout. It costs far less to do this during a remodel than after the finishes are in place.

Heat tape and power outages

Some Cripple Creek homes rely on heat tape to keep drain lines from freezing. Heat tape only works with power, and winter storms can knock out electricity. If your home depends on heat tape, know which lines are protected and keep the house warm enough during an outage that pipes don't freeze.

Mollie Kathleen country

Visitors ride down into the Mollie Kathleen gold mine and tour the old district every summer, and Cripple Creek's population swells with tourists and workers. Homes that rent to seasonal workers or visitors see heavy use in summer. Pre-season line cleaning and clear guest reminders prevent most problems.

Water lines and drains in a cold, steep town

Cripple Creek's steep streets mean many homes have water and sewer lines running at odd angles to reach mains below or above them. In a house built into a hillside, the drain may leave through a rock foundation wall at a depth that barely clears the frost line. If your home has frozen before at the same spot, a plumber can locate that section with a camera and recommend insulation, heat or rerouting so it doesn't happen again.