The winter storm that took hold of the country last week seems to be behind us, and according to the National Weather Service, warmer temperatures are on their way. But for many families in North Texas, troubles are far from over. All across DFW, pipes began to burst due to the extreme cold followed by a warm-up leaving a wet mess in many homes.
Only a couple of days after Christmas, people returning from visiting family and friends came home to find a scene they’d already seen almost a year ago. Just like in the February 2021 freeze, a streak of water damage is affecting North Texas residents.
From collapsing ceilings to inches of water inside their homes, North Texans have been forced to shut the water meter off and leave their homes as plumbers are overwhelmed with work.
"I expect wait times of maybe three days. We have people already scheduled through Friday. So it hurts sometimes when you pick up phone calls to tell them that,” David Lozano with Milestone Plumbing told NBCDFW. “So just be patient."
If your home hasn’t experienced problems you are lucky, but stay vigilant — if you have pipes that haven’t been used in a couple of days be careful when turning the water on, let the faucet drip and open the doors of the cabinet under your sink to let the warm air in.
“Have your tools ready, know where your valve box is so you can shut the water off and have someone else there to see if something is running or leaking. Shut the water off whatever the case is,” said Lozano. “Turn the water on slowly, then turn the water back off. That way you can see or hear anything."
Lozano also warned residents to get ready for more freezes as we still have two more months of winter ahead of us. “The checklist that I would have really pretty much — if you have any type of pipe that is exposed and you've seen it or if anything has ever been repaired — insulate it. If you know that you don't have insulation in your walls, try to do something about it."
