Bitter Cold Creates Frozen Pipes

Rockford, IL- As temperatures continue to drop to bitter lows, the freezing weather is beginning to take its toll on water pipes throughout the area. Kensey Hunt`s condominium garage flooded after a frozen water pipe burst and sent water gushing from his garage into the condominium parking lot. "When I came home the whole area was flooded with the first quarter of the garage frozen and flooded," says Hunt. Hunt is now left with a parking lot coated in ice and several cracked water pipes that will cost him around $300 to fix. "I thought I was doing the right thing. I had the garage warm. I had the heat on just like all my friends from the great white north told me to do and it still happened," says Hunt. "Cold and wind are the culprits here," says Michael Letsinger, the Vice President of Pearson Plumbing and Heating. "Anytime you get the two combined, frigid weather and wind chills, that`s when the lines get frozen." Letsinger says he and his crews have been working non-stop for the past few days trying to repair busted pipes. This case, he says, is less severe than most he`s seen this week because the damage was mostly confined to the outdoors. "We`ve had them where they (homeowners) will be gone 6 or 8 hours and that water has run and done major damage to the inside of the home," says Letsinger. Letsinger says if water pipes are frozen and the home is unattended for several hours, the water should be shut off at the main source. As for thawing frozen pipes, experts say you can try a hair dryer or space heater, but if the pipe is frozen solid it`s best to call in professionals.