Iowa Business Receives 800 Service Calls During Cold Weather

I think it would be pretty safe to assume that every Iowan is happy to have this terrible winter storm behind us. It brought lots of snow, road closures and really cold weather. During the winter months, I feel like there are two groups of people.

The first group is made up of people who hate the cold but are not afraid of the snow. The second group is made up of people who are not afraid of the cold but hate the snow. I would find myself in the second group. I really don’t like snow.

I hate shoveling, it’s not fun to drive when the snow covers the roads, and the snow makes quite a mess. You follow it around your house and when it starts to melt, everywhere you go it is constantly wet. It shouldn’t but the snow annoys me.

I always thought that when it’s really cold, you can just put more clothes on or better yet, not go out when you don’t have to. Although we can normally dress for freezing temperatures, being abnormally cold outside can wreak havoc on the pipes in your home. A business in eastern Iowa received about 800 calls about frozen pipes.

If 32 degrees is the freezing point, does that mean your pipes can freeze anytime below? According to American family insurance, “Temperatures only need to drop to around 20°F for a few hours to put exposed pipes at risk.” It really doesn’t take much for the pipes in your home to be in danger, does it? 20 degrees is nothing. This is the ideal temperature for sledding or ice skating. You can hang out for hours at 20 degrees.

During Iowa’s last cold streak, Master Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning, located in Cedar Rapids, have been very busy. With temperatures of -11 degrees some nights, it’s no surprise they received so many service calls.

John Clymer is a service technician at Master Plumbing, and he spoke with KCRG on what to do if a pipe bursts in your home.

If you have a burst pipe, be sure to shut off the water immediately, then call your insurance. Every situation is different, but repairs usually take about an hour.

He also mentioned that the best ways to avoid frozen pipes are to do a winterization inspection in the fall, drain your pipes, and open closets to let the heat in when you know it’s going. colder than normal.

800 calls! How the hell could they answer all these calls? Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Master Plumbing Heating and Cooling has no complaints and is happy to have so much business, but when I heard that number, the first thing I thought was, how could they get to all those service calls?

I know I wouldn’t want to be on a waiting list of 800 people for a problem that I needed to solve ASAP. Insulate your pipes as soon as possible.