Frozen Pipes Cause Problems Throughout Green Country

As bitter cold temperatures continue to sweep across Green Country, calls for frozen pipes are on the rise.

Plumber Jeff Richardson says he's been swamped with frozen pipe calls over the last several days.

Richardson has seen it all in his more than 20 years on the job. Tuesday, he was back at a home he knows all too well. 

"Last year, they had one freeze and it actually busted and pretty much took down the whole ceiling and the living room,” said Richardson.

This year, Richardson is at the home for a similar reason, two frozen pipes, a common occurrence this time of year for many homeowners.

"They've got no hot or cold water to the kitchen sink,” said Richardson. “Their particular lines to the sink and a couple of other fixtures are in the attic.”

Richardson took us along as he tried to figure out exactly where the pipes were frozen, but couldn't find the source while we were there.

"Sometimes, they're in a place where you can't get to them and you have to wait on the weather,” he said.

His remedy, for the time being, is to wait for the pipes to thaw. But doing so brings a new set of challenges.

"There's a very good possibility that once they freeze, of course, they expand and they could split,” he stated.

And if there's a break once the weather warms up, all that frozen water could leak out.

How do you prevent something like this from happening in the first place?

"Leaving your faucets drip hot and cold preferably one fixture in each bathroom and the kitchen,” stated Richardson.

He also says you can use heat tape if your lines are exposed, leave your cabinet doors open, and if you have a crawl space make sure your vents are closed. All in effort to make sure something like this doesn't happen to you.

Richardson says he's seen a lot of frozen pipes, but so far, only a few that broke.