WACO, Texas (FOX 44) — Plumbing companies are working around the clock this week to help homeowners fix their pipes after subzero temperatures.
Ryberg Plumbing in Waco says it has received 1,126 service calls this week from homeowners with water issues.
Amber Leiber, co-owner of Leiber Plumbing, said they are working around the clock to help everyone, but each situation is different.
“When customers call me, they just say, 'Water is coming down from the ceiling.' I don't know where it's coming from. Water is coming out of my walls. Where's it coming from? I have no idea what that is,” Ryberg said.
Ryberg said the main problem they see is water leakage.
“When water freezes in a pipe, the molecules expand even more, and when they have nowhere else to go, the pipe basically pops open,” says Lyberg.
Ryberg Plumbing processed 207 work orders and had a waiting list of 75 at its peak.
Lyberg says some leaks can be easily repaired if the water meter is located and the pipes are outside.
If it's an internal pipe, it's a different story.
“We might have to ship the bricks or cut into the sheetrock. So it depends. It could be anything from an hour or so, to a lot of repairs on the same property, and in some cases. This ranges from having to re-plumb the entire house,” Ryberg said.
Killeen's water system stretches 700 miles into the city to 59,000 meters of water meters.
Yesterday, the public works department noticed an increase in water usage after 200 homeowners had to have their water service shut off.
“The average is about 12 million gallons per day, and we noticed yesterday that we're up to about 17.8 million gallons per day,” said Killeen Interim Public Works Director Stephen Kana.
Kana has some advice for preventing water problems at home.
“It is very important to have water running from the faucet inside the house,” Kana said.
You can also open cabinets to let in warm air and use covers to protect outside faucets.
