Local Plumber Says To Get Ready For Dangerously Cold Weather

Dangerously could temperatures are expected to arrive by the end of the week, which could cause damage to homes that are not ready for winter.

Mike Headrick and his staff at Allied Plumbing are gearing up for what could be a busy week.

“We hope people are paying attention,” said Headrick. “There’s things you need to do to prepare for this and you’ve had the warning.”

Headrick said homeowners should remove hoses from faucets. If your home has a crawl space, he said to close the underneath vents because the wind can really make things worse.

“It takes that cold air and it pushes it into every little nook and cranny,” said Headrick. “That’s when stuff starts to freeze and bust.”

Inside your home, Headrick said to run a stream of water on any faucets that are on outside walls.

It’s also a good idea to open up your cabinets to expose any faucets to warmer air to help keep anything from bursting.

When the temperatures are as cold as forecasted, it does not take long for things to get out of hand. Damage to homes could cost thousands of dollars in damage.

“Do it now, get ready,” said Headrick. “You don’t want to be out there when the wind’s howling and it’s 20 degrees."

Some are already preparing for the colder weather. Employees at Midtown Hardware said business has picked up over the last couple of days.

“We’ve had to order quite a bit of the faucet covers to keep that in stock,” said Savannah Padek, Midtown Hardware. “We’re prepared.”

She said space heaters, faucet covers, fire starters and ice melt are items going quickly.

The Tulsa Fire Department is also giving a warning about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning when using things like space heaters indoors.