16
I ignored the frost line and now my patio is splitting apart
I tried to save cash by putting in my own drip irrigation last fall. I buried the pipes only about six inches deep, thinking it was enough. Well, when that bad cold snap came in January, the water froze inside them. The ice expanding actually pushed up and cracked my concrete patio slab right down the middle. I had to call a pro to look at it, and they said Amarillo's frost line is near 12 inches, so my shallow job was all wrong. Now I'm facing a big repair cost and a broken patio. I mean, idk, maybe it's just me but I had no clue how key that depth is. So, if you're doing any DIY with underground water lines, please check the frost depth here first. It's not worth the headache.
4 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In4 Comments
avery8611mo ago
Ugh, I feel your pain so much. I made almost the same mistake with some sprinkler lines a few years back, buried them maybe eight inches down thinking it was fine. A hard freeze pushed the ground up and snapped a line, water went everywhere under the walkway. The fix ended up costing way more than just digging deeper would have. It's a tough lesson to learn the hard way.
7
jana_black1mo ago
Six inches deep in Amarillo? That's barely covering the pipes with dirt. I'm shocked the freeze got to them that easily, but I guess when the ground freezes solid, it doesn't mess around. Seeing a concrete slab split from ice pressure is something I'd only expect in much colder places. It makes me wonder about all the other DIY projects out there with hidden flaws... like, what else are we missing?
5
willowg8824d ago
Oh man, that's brutal. Honestly, you didn't just ignore the frost line, you gave it a personal invitation to wreck your patio. It's like the ground was just waiting to show off its ice-powered jackhammer trick. Tbh, I'm just picturing your pipes down there throwing a frozen rave and the patio slab was the dance floor that couldn't handle the beat.
2