BOISE -- Constant freezing temperatures are wreaking havoc on pipes around the Treasure Valley.
Curtis Hamp with A1 Plumbing has been working a lot of overtime these past few weeks. It's busy, yeah. [I'm] constantly trying to get folks water.
He, like plumbers around the valley, have been responding to calls of frozen pipes almost non-stop.
Amelia Valasek was just one of the many people to wake up to frozen pipes. I went to go take a shower, and nothing was coming out. And then, I checked my bathroom sink and nothing was coming out. Then, I checked my kitchen sink and nothing was coming out... Once I'd ruled out all the possibilities, I called the plumber.
Hamp says he hasn't seen this kind of demand because of constant sub-freezing temperatures in a while. This does not happen every year. I'm thinking, five or six years ago, maybe seven years ago it hit us.
He says many people don't take precautions because winter weather rarely hits this hard. It hits us by surprise.
But Hamp says there's some simple things you can do to keep your pipes free of ice.
- He recommends leaving your sink cabinet doors open to help heat circulate.
- Close your foundation vents.
- Outside hoses should be detached so those faucets can drain.
- Insulation should surround all pipes in walls and attics.
- Pipe jackets can be placed around exterior pipes.
- Also, you can always just let your faucets drip to keep the water flowing. (You might have noticed some of the fountains around town are still running. Engineers say it's the same principle.)
Hamp was able to find the frozen spot quickly, and just heat up Valasek's pipe to get her water flowing. But with no end to the freezing temperatures in sight, Hamp's long day, week, and month, is far from over.
