Plumbers are working non-stop across North Texas to repair freeze-damaged pipes and restore running water for customers.
Plumber Francisco Hernandez with Milestone stopped at a home in Frisco Monday that had the water turned off since Wednesday.
“We’re booked out days. Some companies are booked out weeks. We’re just trying our best to get to everybody,” he said.
Hernandez arrived at the Frisco home after a stop in Allen where a homeowner had significant damage.
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“There was a pretty noticeable leak. It had punched a hole in the sheet rock. So we cut the sheet rock out, did a quick repair on a piece of pipe,” Hernandez.
Frisco homeowner Greg Boatwright shut the water supply off at his home, hoping to avoid significant damage Wednesday when he stopped water leaking into his kitchen. He’d had trouble before with a pipe leak in the garage from a bathroom above. But he was most alarmed by video that neighbors shared last week of the catastrophic pipe burst damage they had in the same community.
“When I saw my neighbors’ houses collapse, we had to do something, because they’re across the street, there, there, there. And we had to arrest the development of this horrible freeze,” Boatwright said.
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His family survived on bottled water for six days, waiting for a plumber to be in the house when the water was turned back on so problems could be repaired.
But luckily, there was no pipe problem. The leak appeared to have been melting snow and ice that sent water through a crevice in the roof. Melting ice and snow that remains in one location came come through places that running water may not.
The plumber checked the water meter with service restored but all faucets inside the house turned off and no running water was detected.
“It shows that we aren’t losing any water, so I think we’re OK,” Hernandez said.
Boatwright was the fortunate customer on this plumber’s list.
“He did say that there were no pipes frozen so, double thumbs up,” Boatwright said.
Hernandez had more stops to make in a busy schedule of people with pipe concerns. A large portion of the record large since insurance claims forecast from the cold weather will involve work for plumbers.
