Water pipes break as Texas weather warms up

Thawing frozen pipes now leaking after freeze

Pipes that were frozen are now leaking as temperatures increased today, prompting local plumbers to respond.

AUSTIN, Texas - The big thaw got underway by mid-morning Wednesday. Well before the ice started melting along cold rocky roadway slopes, calls from frozen neighborhoods were already coming in.

"It's been crazy. We've got over 1000 phone calls in 48 hours," said Max Hicks the owner of Reliant Plumbing.

The Reliant team saw a lot of outside breaks. At a southwest Austin home, the freeze snapped off a hose connection, spewing water into the yard. It’s a top problem at the house calls Reliant made on Wednesday. There were also a few breaks inside exterior walls, and those calls, according to Hicks, may be the next big call out.

"This is just the start of it. So, once the sun really comes out and it heats up a little bit, we're going to get flooded with even more," said Hicks.

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With that, it's important to understand that bad things can happen when water is turned on after a freeze up. That is why a house that froze should be fully checked out, according to Reliant GM Alec Hanson.

"If you leave the water on, and you're just hoping it didn't break in while your pipes are frozen, unfortunately, you might be out running errands and come home, and you have water flooding through your house. Or if you are home, water damage could happen quickly. I mean, a simple break could be as simple as a gallon every 10 seconds," said Hanson.

A big disaster can be avoided with a small gauge used for what’s called a hydrostatic pressure test.

"Your pressure, if it’s not leaking, it won’t go down," said Hicks.

After the leaks are stopped, the repair work begins. That can mean a lot of ceiling and walls to replace with new sheet rock.

"Big spots, like right here. We're doing, I don't know, 80ft² of our ceiling, like, you know, got damage," said Sheetrock repairman Clemente Martinez.

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Austin Energy says, so far, crews are responding to just a handful of small outages Wednesday morning.

Waiting to replace wet walls and ceilings can lead to a bigger problem. Mold is your enemy.

"Right, you got to open up and then run a fan or something. Just open up the area, let it dry, and then you're good to go," said Martinez.

With the warm-up, now is the time to prepare for the next freeze.

"Go into your attic, make sure all your water lines that are up above are very well insulated around the pipe. Sometimes the insulation gets chewed up or dry rots over time. Ensure that it has proper insulation around the piping first," said Hanson.

There is an additional trick to remember about keeping an inside faucet on.

"The main thing is to keep the hot water running. Not just the cold. So, as the cold water goes into the water heater, it goes out and if you, as long as you're putting the hot water on that, the supply to the water heater and the return will take care of both systems," said Hicks, who added it should be more of a stream than a trickle.

Another thing to check is your hot water heater. If it is in the garage, make sure all the pipes, in and out, are insulated. And, keep a close watch for small wet spots in walls and for water outside by foundations.