Ozarks Dealing with Broken Water Pipes

As temperatures drop, the chances of pipes freezing goes up.  It's a familiar problem for area residents and one that has kept many plumbers here in the Ozarks extremely busy.

"I start work at seven in the morning and don't finish until about seven at night," said Don Lamber of Reed's Plumbing in Springfield who's been busy since the ice storm hit the area.

Lambert, like other service technicians, have been racing to answer hundreds of calls from customers dealing with frozen and busted water pipes caused by freezing temperatures.

"I've been able to only handle about four calls a day because they are rougher calls then usual.  The calls are harder to get done.  We are trying to get around trees and find different ways to get into different houses," said Lambert.

Service calls have nearly doubled in the last few days.  Not only is Lambert dealing with frozen pipes, but he's also helping repair furnaces.

He says, "You can tell how far it's been pushed through the roof from the tree hitting, you know.  Hitting the roof that's how far it's been pushed through, you see it's not even connected anymore.  So, it's not even doing it's job so everything here has been venting out, which creates carbon monoxide poising, but you can see from the roof right there, just how much heat this thing has been up and in here."

Tiffannee Lumos of Springfield has been without power for almost a week and thought things could not get any worse.    

"When we walked in the house to check on our animals, we heard gushing water in the basement.  We ran down and there was water everywhere," she said.

For many, the damage caused by the area's recent ice storm is a reminder of the unexpected circumstances old man winter can leave behind.

"You just have to laugh at it and try not to stick around too long because you just get too sad because you can't be home. Everything was okay until the flood in the basement. I can't wait for all this to be all over and go back to normal," said Alyson Higby of Springfield.

Plumbers say keeping garage doors closed during cold weather can help keep pipes from bursting if there are water supply lines in the garage.  People should also open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing and always keep water running through the pipe, which helps prevent pipes from freezing.