LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Winter's freezing temperatures are keeping plumbers busy across the region, with emergency calls for frozen and burst pipes spiking when the mercury falls below freezing.
"When the temperature is sub-zero or anywhere between that negative two and four-degree mark, those pipes start to expand because of the pressure of ice build up and then it can crack, burst or even inflate to the point where it's going to start having ruptures inside of your line from a water standpoint," Will Morrow from Roto-Rooter said.
The winter advice homeowners hear every year is backed by what plumbers witness daily during cold snaps. Frozen pipes don't always burst immediately, and sometimes the damage occurs before homeowners notice anything is wrong.
Nick Mardis from Roto-Rooter said proper preparation is essential to prevent costly repairs.
"Make sure that you have insulation around your dripping or leaking hose bibs. You gotta make sure those things, hoses are taken off outside so that you don't have pipes freezing and then you get a bursted pipe up around your foundation, which then can lead into the inside of the house," Mardis said.
Once pipes freeze and burst, repairs often require cutting into walls or floors to replace damaged sections of pipe, creating additional expense and inconvenience for homeowners.
Plumbers recommend prevention as the best defense against frozen pipes. Simple steps include opening cabinets under sinks to allow warm air circulation and letting faucets drip just enough to keep water moving through the pipes.
The volume of emergency calls demonstrates how common this winter problem becomes during extreme cold.
"Just on the board yesterday because I was on call, we had about 12 just yesterday, so I would say daily on average between five and ten," Mardis said.
