PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh plumber tells Channel 11 his phone has been ringing off the hook.
That’s because the bitter cold has been wreaking havoc on people’s pipes.
“We’ve walked into places where the water is still pouring from the ceiling, and we are like we need to isolate your water ASAP,” Jake Kicinski told Channel 11.
Situations like that are what Kicinski and his technicians with South Side Plumbing have been running into for the last week.
“We’ve taken calls from people not knowing where their water meter is, or how to shut the water off, and they’re frantic on the phone with us trying to tell them how to shut it off,” he said.
He told Channel 11 that calls this week have been endless.
“Anything you can imagine. Water lines breaking, water coming through ceilings, basements being flooded out. Anything you can think of.”
Channel 1 previously showed you a video of a ceiling collapsing at Point Park University, which caused water to spread down the hall, and down to the floors below.
RELATED COVERAGE >>> About 20 Point Park University students displaced after pipe bursts at residence hall
Kicinski says the water line problems might not be ending any time soon.
“We are going to be dealing with this stuff for the next couple weeks because a lot of water lines are still frozen right now. People don’t realize the amount of trouble they’re in until they thaw it out and, they realize the pipe has been broken, and they have water coming through their ceilings or walls,” he said.
In the event you do have a water pipe issue, Kicinski says this is what will help you the most.
“Always know how to isolate your water. You never know what could happen. Regardless if it’s freezing weather or if it’s in the summer… a water leak can develop at anytime.”
Kicinski still advises people to let their water run, keep the cabinets open, and make sure their thermostat is set higher than usual.
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