Chicago’s New Building Codes Are Your Best Defense Against Extreme Winter Weather and Plumbing Disasters
As Chicago faces increasingly severe freeze events and extreme weather patterns, the city’s groundbreaking 2024 Infrastructure Resilience Plan is revolutionizing how buildings protect themselves against climate-related plumbing disasters. For homeowners and businesses, understanding these new building codes isn’t just about compliance—it’s about safeguarding your property from costly water damage and ensuring your plumbing system can withstand Chicago’s harsh winters.
Why Chicago’s Infrastructure Needed an Upgrade
Most of the region’s roads were designed using standards that pre-date the increased number of heavy rain events, freeze-thaw cycles, and hotter and wetter conditions posed by a changing climate. Increased freeze-thaw events can lead to additional water main breaks and water loss. This reality became painfully clear during recent extreme weather events, when freezing temperatures have wreaked havoc on Chicagoland, creating a domino effect of bursting pipes and water main breaks throughout the city and its suburbs.
The City of Chicago gets plenty of complaints during extreme freezes. The 311 system does not track water main breaks specifically, but for an analysis, CBS News Chicago grouped the three most common complaints for water issues — no water, with 262 complaints; water on the street, with 190 complaints; and low water pressure, with 84 complaints. These statistics underscore the urgent need for updated infrastructure standards.
Revolutionary Changes in Chicago’s Building Codes
Under the leadership of Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Building Commissioner Matthew Beaudet, the city of Chicago has entered into the third and final phase of its ambitious multi-year effort to modernize its construction codes using the International Code Council’s International Codes (I-Codes) as the basis for many of its key provisions, including new building construction, rehab of existing buildings, energy conservation, plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas. When the code revision and adoption process is completed — hopefully in 2023, depending on the trajectory of the COVID pandemic — it will mark the end of a bold effort to comprehensively revise the city’s construction code for the first time in 70 years.
The updated plumbing codes now include specific provisions to address freeze protection. 3.5 feet of cover to guard against freezing is now required for certain installations, while piping in a plumbing system shall be installed so as to prevent strains and stresses that exceed the structural strength of the pipe. Where necessary, provisions shall be made to protect piping from damage resulting from expansion, contraction and structural settlement.
Climate Resilience Meets Practical Protection
Modernization efforts should promote infrastructure that is based on revised design standards that anticipate future climate conditions and built or retrofitted at comfortable levels of risk tolerance. This forward-thinking approach is particularly crucial for plumbing systems, which are among the most vulnerable building components during extreme freeze events.
Deadly disasters, such as the February 2021 Texas freeze, reveal the compound impacts extreme weather can impose when energy infrastructure is disrupted. Extreme weather—the primary driver of major power outages—poses a particular threat to the electric grid and the Nation’s energy security at large. Chicago’s new codes aim to prevent similar disasters by requiring more robust plumbing installations and better freeze protection measures.
What This Means for Property Owners
For Chicago residents and business owners, these code changes translate into real protection against plumbing emergencies. In most cases, water pipes freeze when the temperature falls to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. However, a combination of strong winds and high wintertime humidity can cause pipes to freeze and burst at warmer temperatures. The new building standards address these vulnerabilities through improved insulation requirements, better pipe placement specifications, and enhanced freeze protection measures.
When dealing with frozen pipes chicago residents now have the advantage of buildings constructed or renovated under these more stringent codes. The updated requirements help prevent the costly damage that occurs when pipes burst, which can result in thousands of dollars in water damage and restoration costs.
Professional Plumbing Services for Code Compliance
All Rooter Hydro Jetting Experts, located in Chicago, IL, All Rooter Hydro Jetting Experts services the city and surrounding suburbs. All Rooter Hydro Jetting Experts Inc. has been established since 2000 and over the years, we have been providing professional plumbing services to Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, and we have come to value the trust of our customers. We’re dedicated to keeping your plumbing running smoothly and offering honest, reliable service at a fair price. People who need plumbing services in the Chicago area choose All Rooter for a number of reasons, some of which include: Local Expertise: We know Chicago’s plumbing inside and out.
All Rooter Hydro Jetting Experts Inc. is an experienced plumbing company, doing repairs and services with the power and the resources to bring you the best service available. All Rooter Hydro Jetting Experts Inc. is continuously training its plumbers in order to stay up-to-date on the latest in technology and products. This commitment to staying current is essential as Chicago’s building codes continue to evolve.
Preparing for Chicago’s Climate Future
Resilient Chicago is organized into three resilience pillars – Strong Neighborhoods, Robust Infrastructure, and Prepared Communities – and establishes 12 goals and 50 actions the city can take to support these pillars. The plumbing and infrastructure components of this plan ensure that both new construction and existing buildings can better withstand the extreme weather events that are becoming increasingly common in the Chicago area.
For property owners, working with experienced local plumbers who understand both the new code requirements and Chicago’s unique climate challenges is essential. We are available for 24-hour emergency plumbing services, which is crucial during extreme weather events when plumbing failures are most likely to occur.
Chicago’s 2024 Infrastructure Resilience Plan represents a significant step forward in protecting the city’s buildings and residents from climate-related challenges. By understanding these new building codes and working with qualified professionals, property owners can ensure their plumbing systems are prepared for whatever Chicago’s weather brings.
