Plumbers in North Texas have stayed busy during this stretch of cold weather. The National Weather Service says North Texas has stayed below freezing since 6 p.m. Saturday; the area is expected to begin thawing with a high of 42 degrees Wednesday after a low of 16 tonight.
Plumbers say they have been working overtime to keep up with homes dealing with frozen pipes, but they say their busiest stretch will follow the thaw.
"When things start to thaw out in a couple days, hopefully, you're okay, but one thing we see is people don't shut their water off," says Brian Remington, general manager at On Time Experts. "As things start to thaw and expand, water starts flowing, that's when you start to see those awful leaks in walls and ceilings."
Remington says people can start working ahead now. He says people should keep faucets running at a trickle, not just a drip.
"A slow trickle, both hot and cold sides, keep that water moving," he says. "It's a lot harder to freeze if there's circulation."
Remington also says people can avoid pipes freezing by keeping cabinet doors open beneath sinks.
If pipes do freeze, Remington says people can still trickle other faucets if the freeze is limited to one area.
"Let's say it's one bathroom on the north side of the house that doesn't get any sun but everything else is flowing, you're probably okay," he says.
If no faucets are working, Remington says you should turn water off at the main valve. He says that can prevent water from building up behind the frozen area and breaking pipes once they thaw.
Remington says On Time Experts' busiest days are likely to be Wednesday and Thursday.
"That's when things are going to start thawing out, that's when people are going to start noticing leaks," he says. "There's really not a whole lot we can do once everything's frozen. It's just playing a waiting game and waiting for that stuff to thaw."
Longterm, he says people can look at options to improve construction of their homes to add insulation or protect their plumbing. He says many homes in Texas were not built to withstand cold like they are farther north, but he says newer homes are more likely to be built with PEX piping instead of copper or PVC.
Remington says PEX piping has a greater ability to expand, so they are less likely to crack. He says PEX may still freeze, but it is less likely to leak.
"Some of the newer homes also have a valve box in the garage. Sometimes the mains are out at the curb, but if you have a valve box, you can shut off each individual line, so you can protect yourself by shutting off individual lines that are frozen," Remington says.
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