Do you have frozen or broken pipes? Here’s advice from experts

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Freezing temps can wreak havoc on your pipes.

If your pipes burst during a hard freeze, you may be wondering what you should do.

Broken, frozen, and leaking pipes can leave many people without water for days. Virginia Moore has been living in Augusta for six months now. She says she and her family went without hot water for days after the Christmas weekend freeze.

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Danny Friedman has been with Garden City Plumbers for 40 years and says he’d never seen anything like this. He tells us there is one thing you need to do immediately before you call a plumber if your pipes burst.

“If it’s a hot or a cold pipe makes a difference. If it’s a hot pipe, you can cut it off at the water heater, and you’ll have cold water in your house for the rest of the time,” he said.

He says if you have damage to a cold pipe, you’ll be out of water and will have to call a plumber. If your pipes haven’t burst, you still have time to make sure they don’t.

“Once nighttime comes around, leave the water not dripping, but a very slight, small stream. If you can get close to where your hose bibs are, a faucet close to there, that’s the one you want to keep open,” he said.

Friedman tells us there are also Styrofoam heat boxes you can buy and attach to your faucet. He also says letting a small stream of water run all night when temperatures drop may sound like a hit to your wallet, but that solution will be much cheaper than a plumbing repair.

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