Chase County, Kansas · Cottonwood Falls
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With 53% of homes built before 1960 and about 35 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Chase County, part of 9.5 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
53% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Chase County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.59 inches, and about 89 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
32% of occupied homes in Chase County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
About 64 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
With 1,388 homes and around 2,561 residents, Chase County is 773 square miles of eastern Kansas. Besides Cottonwood Falls, the county seat, the biggest communities are Strong City, Elmdale and Matfield Green. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1958.
61/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Chase County ranks 11 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Chase County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Chase County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 35 nights a year at or below 20°F (63rd of 105) and 107 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -17°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 13 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from November to February, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 26 and end around Apr 10.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Kansas. Of roughly 36.3 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 9.5 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 21st of 105. May, July and August see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.59 inches, May 21, 2019. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.72 inches, ending May 9, 2019, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 89 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Roughly 74% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Chase near the middle of Kansas's 105 counties.
Before 1960 is when 53% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
Here 8% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
17% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 64 times a year here, close to the Kansas county median of 59. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Chase County homes break down as 47% utility gas, 16% electric, 26% propane and 6% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Kansas norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Chase County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Morris gets more pipe-freeze nights than Chase. Marion County has the oldest housing nearby, with 74% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Chase | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 53% | 48% | 33 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 74% | 74% | 51 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 10% | 11% | 57 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7.9% | 5.6% | 34 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 15% | 34 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 32% | 17% | 10 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 35/yr | 39/yr | 63 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.5/yr | 6.8/yr | 21 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 89/yr | 97/yr | 70 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 64/yr | 59/yr | 40 of 105 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Kansas county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Chase County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in May, July and August.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology