Bursting frozen pipes leading to watery messes, false alarms across DFW
Bursting frozen pipes lead to watery messes
Plumbers and restoration companies have been scrambling to deal with burst pipes across the metroplex. It's forced businesses to shut down and put some people out of their homes. And they're only expecting more.
As North Texas flirts with the freezing mark, some people are already dealing with the impacts of the cold.
Plumbers and restoration companies have been scrambling to deal with burst pipes across the metroplex.
It's forced businesses to shut down and put some people out of their homes.
Water Leaks Across DFW
JD’s Hamburgers in Fort Worth
JD's Hamburgers off Camp Bowie in Fort Worth was back open Thursday after being forced to close early Wednesday.
Gigi Howell, one of the operating managers, got the call about a burst pipe in the kitchen.
"Water was flowing everywhere. Everywhere," she said. "Lots of squeegees. Lots of manpower.
That water iced over in the parking lot, but the customers are warm and full on the inside.
"We were worried that we would get halfway through the day, and it would happen again," said Howell. "But, so far so good. The sunshine helps a bit."
Dallas Love Field Airport
Dallas Love Field was not immune to issues.
A fire alarm sparked an evacuation Thursday afternoon.
Dallas Fire-Rescue says it was a burst water pipe that triggered the false alarm.
Carrollton City Streets
Carrollton water leak leads to massive icy mess
Freezing temperatures caused the water from a burst pipe on Luna Road in Carrollton to freeze, covering the road, cars and power lines with ice.
Freezing temperatures caused a water pipe to burst in Carrollton on Thursday morning, leaving ice covering the roads, cars and power lines.
The city said someone in the area called their 24-hour line to report it at around 3:00 a.m. Crews immediately started work to fix the issue.
Dallas NorthPark Mall
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Freezing cold sets off NorthPark Mall’s fire sprinkler system
It’s unclear how much damage the water may have caused or if it affected any businesses.
The freezing temperatures caused the Dallas NorthPark Mall’s fire sprinkler system to go off while the mall was filled with shoppers Wednesday afternoon.
The fire department says the system wasn’t set off due to a fire. Instead, the fire department says the cold weather caused the sprinkler system to fail.
The leak was repaired later that day.
Fort Worth Medical Facility
It was a mess inside a fort medical facility overnight.
"There was a coil on a HVAC system that ruptured that flooded a major part of the hospital," explained Jared Sims, with 3W Restoration.
Sims says his Haltom City company spent hours cleaning up the mess. His 24/7 emergency service is on standby for the likely influx of calls coming with temperatures finally reaching above freezing as we head into the weekend.
"We see it in new houses, old houses, new businesses, old businesses," he said. "It’s one of those where it will affect anybody."
Downtown Dallas Apartment Flooded
Omar Ramos was forced to leave his flooded Downtown Dallas apartment for a pre-scheduled work trip to Houston.
"I turn around, and it’s water coming down the wall in my living room," he recalled. "It’s everywhere!"
Two inches of water covered Ramos’ apartment floor. He’s now worried about where he will stay when he comes back home from his work trip.
"The big fear is obviously the water damage in the walls," he said.
What you can do:
Sims also warned that mold can form in the wall cavities if a water leak goes undetected for a long period.
The key is acting quickly and calling someone as soon as possible.
Also, know where your water shutoff is.
The Source: Information in this article comes from various businesses and a water restoration business owner.