Sunshine thawing ice and snow, revealing broken pipes for Houston residents
Houston - Thursday's upper 50° temperatures brought more than hours of sunshine. The warmer weather melted the ice and snow. For some, the sun also revealed broken pipes, keeping area plumbers busy.
‘A real big surprise’
What they're saying:
After freezing temperatures all week, most thought Thursday's sunny weather was a sign that the worst was nearly over. But some Houstonians were in for a not-so nice surprise.
"A real big surprise and I wish I had been more prepared," says Denise Morales, whose hose bibb cracked in the freezing temperatures.
"Pretty much, I was just out here trying to check on my plants to see if they survived or not. One of my spouts that was protruding out of the house had leaked and burst on me in the winter freeze," she adds.
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"No damage inside the house. All the damage was outside, and it was just dripping. It was a minor thing. Thank God for this one," says her plumber, Hector Morales, who co-owns Texas Divine Plumbing along with his dad.
Why didn't she wrap her spout?
"You know what, I was worried about the plants. I was worried about work, and it was just too late by the time the freeze was here to wrap anything or go out and get supplies, especially with the road conditions," Denise explains.
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Protect your pipes
What We Can Learn:
"You should wrap anything that is brass [or] exposed. Bag it, insulate it, put a little tape around it," Morales adds. "If it's exposed like that, that's what happens in the freeze. The cold cracked it,"
Morales says in the last few days it was likely frozen, but the sunshine thawed the ice and snow and revealed the leak. He has several customers with minor broken pipes, nothing major this time.
"No power outages and that was a good thing, so the houses were heated up," the plumber explains.
"I didn't do a good job this season trying to keep all my stuff insulated. Maybe that's the lesson out of all of this. Be prepared," smiles Denise.
The Source: FOX 26 reporter Damili Keith spoke with a local homeowner and professional plumber for this report.