This article has been updated to include the cause of the water line rupture at Glidden Hall.
Brandon Bowers was lying on his bed in Dougan Hall when he and his roommate heard a sudden "drip, drip, drip." When they got up to investigate, a sudden rush of boiling-hot water flowed into his dorm room, he said.
The pipe burst Jan. 18 and caused 2 inches of water to flow into the room in Dougan Hall. The scalding-hot water that hit Bowers, a freshman studying English pre-law, caused minor burns and blisters on his feet, he said. The university moved Bowers and his roommate to Brown Hall and compensated each of them with $100 in Bobcat Cash.
He said that of his items, only electrical cords and his shoes, were damaged. The university told Bowers the cold had weakened the pipes, he said.
Dougan Hall was not the only building with maintenance issues in January or December. OU buildings such as Atkinson, Glidden and Lincoln halls have all been affected by January temperatures that have dropped as low as 8 degrees below zero. The cold weather caused burst pipes and leaky heating units.
OU Spokesman Dan Pittman said Atkinson Hall, Glidden Hall and other weather-related building maintenance requests are estimated to total $100,000 in labor and materials costs.
On Jan. 11, custodial services in Lincoln Hall found a leaking fan coil unit. The unit leaked water, which migrated to lower floors and caused damage to the ceiling in the lobby.
On Jan. 6, a member of Housing and Residence Life discovered two hot water lines froze and burst in the attic of Atkinson Hall, causing damage to the residence hall. OU Facilities Management and Safety arrived soon after to repair and clean the damage.
Pittman said OU Housing and Residence Life contacted the students who were in Atkinson, and Facilities Management and Safety allowed the students to inspect their rooms. They were compensated with Bobcat Cash for their inconvenience.
“This a great example of the potential dangers that can occur during periods of prolonged frigid temperatures,” Steve Wood, associate vice president of Facilities Management and Safety, said in an email. “It is relatively common to have pipes freeze and burst during extremely cold weather, and I’m thankful that our team could quickly provide the necessary repairs and minimize the ruptured pipe’s impact on students and their belongings.”
Bowers said the university was very helpful and that for the most part, he was satisfied with how the situation was handled. The only complaint he had was that moving his belongings from Dougan Hall to Brown Hall was difficult because only one person was sent to help them move.
Cold weather has not been the only thing that has caused maintenance issues. Glidden Hall experienced a water line rupture Jan. 20 that caused a flow of rocks and mud outside the ground floor of the building. That incident was not weather-related or caused by cold temperatures, Pittman said. He said the cause of the break was a material failure of the pipe because of its age.
“The combination of the water flow from the ruptured pipe and the excavation work needed to gain access for repairs resulted in the displacement of soil and rocks within the surrounding area, possibly giving passersby the perception of a 'mudslide,' ” Pittman said in an email.
Correction: A previous version of the photo caption misspelled Ohio University. The caption has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
