Pipes Frozen? Don’t Just Let it Go

Nobody wants a busted pipe but with the frigid cold weather, plumbers across the Red River Valley are seeing an increase in frozen pipes.

As a plumber Jeff Kummeth is always busy. But around this time he can’t seem to catch a break.

Just last night, he slept only three hours after dealing with customers and their frozen pipes.
 
“Wind starts blowing and it gets cold with the wind chills. Wind chills will come right through any cracks in the older homes in windows and it will freeze pipes up,” says Jeff’s Plumbing Owner, Jeff Kummeth,
 
But with a few simple steps you can prevent a messy, expensive clean-up, starting by checking your furnace.
 
“When the furnace goes out and then the whole house just freezes up,” says Kummeth.
 
“There was one guy who had a pipe burst over the weekend and he was obviously not too happy so we wanted to make sure we took care of them and got them the right stuff,” says Mac’s Convenience Store Manager, Warren Brown.
 
“It’s still not too late to make sure your pipes don’t burst. You can try something like foam tape to make sure cold air doesn’t seep into your home.”
 
“Pipe insulation as well as heat tape to go around your pipes,” says Brown.
 
But it could also be as simple as shutting an open window because Jeff has seen it all.
 
“A few by the furnaces and other ones just single lines that tend to freeze up because they’re too close to the outside wall or someone leaves a window open or things like that,” says Kummeth.
 
“It’s all in how they prepare for it and whether you have to be reactive or prepared,” says Brown.
 
So while the cold weather lasts, take the prepared approach and avoid the mess.

Kummeth also suggests opening the cabinet doors of your sink to avoid pipes inside from freezing.