MILWAUKEE — With the frigid temps outside, many homeowners and business owners are dealing with busted or frozen pipes.
Plumbers are working overtime trying to keep up with the volume of calls they are receiving.
Mariell Brown is the owner ofMGA Sewer, Water and Gas, in Milwaukee. He said pipes freezing is not uncommon when conditions are this bad.
"Today has been a little crazy," Brown said.
Brown said he's been fielding calls since 5 a.m. Friday morning.
"It either impacted people's homes, use of toilets or kitchen," Brown stated.
We caught up with him at a home he was servicing on Milwaukee's northside.
Brown said many of the calls have been for frozen water lines or ice crystals forming because of a slow leak from the hose bib outside the home.
"Shut off the hose bib for the winter," he said. "With this not shut off if it gets too cold it will start to freeze, once it freezes it, it will burst."
Brown urges people to keep an eye on faucets and fixtures around the home so a problem can be fixed before it gets worse.
"The good thing to do is open up cabinet doors so you can allow the heat to flow through to the plumbing fixture from underneath and also hit the water lines so you don't gave freezing or burst pipes," Brown said.
Here are some other tips to prevent frozen water lines:
- Ensure there are no drafts coming into the home
- Keep the home warmer than normal
- Let water drip from faucet overnight
More importantly, he encourages people to call if any fixtures begin leaking. Brown said catching the problem early, can save you a lot of money in the end
