When Tasha Goddard’s pipes froze at her house this weekend, she didn’t call a repair company.
She called her girlfriends.
Alexis Laird and Tessa Borjon jumped into action. They traveled to the store to pick up supplies, then climbed under Goddard’s home and followed her instructions.
The women cut out the frozen pipes and replaced them using PVC and “shark bite” tube fittings.
“We just replaced the pipes,” Laird said Monday, as the women continued to work on Goddard’s house.
“It was a really fun adventure, learning how to do this stuff and fix something on our own. But we’re still working on her pipes. We haven’t fixed the problem completely.”
Cold weather continued to wreak havoc on homes and businesses today, as frozen pipes and broken furnaces challenged both professional and amatuer repairmen and women.
Tracy Graham, owner of Ace Refrigeration, said he and his crew have been busy responding to calls for furnaces.
“Nothing good happens below 10 degrees,” he said. “I’ve been doing this work for 28 years, so I know how it goes.”
In many cases, furnaces are being asked to work harder than they can handle. Many calls are for pilot lights that aren’t working. Some have condenser drains that are frozen. Some furnaces cannot use gas and instead have heat pumps, which are not designed for such cold weather.
“Every weak point in your furnace is going to be found right now,” he said.
It’s important to maintain your furnace, including changing the filter on a regular basis. It may be a little late for that now, though.
Many furnaces also have outlived their lifespan, which in most cases averages about 25 years. In many of the households Ace Refrigeration serves, Graham and his crew see furnaces 30 or 40 years old.
“People are trying to get through these tough times, and a new furnace is a big expense but in times like these, it will be an important investment,” he said.
Temperatures were expected to remain in the single digits until later this week, with snow expected through Wednesday.
