The weather outside is frightful…
And for local plumbers – some might suspect – delightful. In the case of Roger ther Plumber there was heck to pay starting in the wee hours of this morning, with locals burning up the phone lines with tales of frozen water pipes.
"You know, I can measure what time people in Johnson County get up by the calls I got this morning," Roger says. "My phone started ringing at 5 after 4. Then the second wave of people started calling at 10 after 5. Then I went to the office and we had 18 more calls between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m."
The primary reason for the calls: "No water," Roger says. "No water coming out of the faucets. When the water inside the pipes freezes, no liquid will flow through them."
Fortunately for most folks, all they needed was a bit of friendly advice.
"The first thing I told them was to turn up their heat and open their cupboard and closet doors and the doors between their house and the garage," Roger says.
Happily, for many of the callers, they didn’t have to worry about busted pipes, Roger says.
"No, a lot of people have plastic pipes these days and they will withstand breaking better. But for the people with copper pipes, the damage had already been done. And hen the ice turns back into waters, the water will start spraying out into their basements or garages."
Tonight is likely to be even worse, Roger warns.
"The wind chill is what makes it bad," he says. "The next time it gets really cold and we get a wind chill prediction below 5 degrees, people need to leave the water tickling so it won’t happen again. No matter what the temperature is, the wind chill has more to do with it."
For the plastic pipe crowd – generally people living south of 119th street, "They’ll probably be okay when their pipes thaw," Roger adds. "But north of 119th street it’s generally copper."
If your copper pipes do freeze, "I recomend getting a plumber with a pipe thawing machine," Roger says. "That way it will melt the ice, so we can get the water running and be their to fix it afterwards. I sepnd a lot of time coaching people over the phone because there’s no need for me to go out if its plastic. They just need to figure out how the cold air is getting in to freeze their pipes."
Roger, you are a generous man to coach people for free
Thanks, Roger, and thank you Hearne! Your free advice saved the day for me–just in the nick of time. I DO live north of the Plastic People, I live in copper country north of 119th. So I got my frozen pipes thawed, and now whenever its raging cold outside, eg the dog tries to potty while standing only on her hind legs, like a Debbie Dunmire prairie dog, then I vow to follow Roger’s advice.
Leave that bathroom cupboard door open, and leave a TRICKLE of water running.
KCC rocks. I so appreciate a seasoned expert plumber just giving away his secrets. Yeah, Roger. Will always use you for the real jobs.
Roger helped my friends for free, as well
I agree, WildaBeest–Roger’s the best. Last month, he coached my friends how to get rid of sewer stink gas, right before the dreaded MIL visit–eg Mother in Law. Now most plumbers would have charged for a visit–Roger just told them what to try, on their own. No Charge.
Do you think some $8 clerk in an orange apron at Home Depot would have known what to do or say? Of course not. There’s a huge difference between a box store, with 20% of the boxes retaped shut, missing key parts–and a professional who drives an entire store to your door, fixes your problems right then–and backs it up with his own platinum personal 2 year warranty. Roger is the best in town. We are lucky to have him.
ROGER THE PUDGY CON MAN
GREAT GUY…..will make grandma laugh while he rips her off for $400 for fixing a
toilet in 5 minutes. I hope this guy washes his hands…but i hear he smells
like sh*t. try k and b for good rates……they are fair and honest!
i second “harley’s” comment
roger’s henchman sold my parents(in their late 80s) a $400 toilet that they didn’t need. when they called to inquire about the excessive charges they were told “i will look into it” by the great man himself…but they never got the courtesy of even a return phone call. my poor old mother sat by the phone for months….just knowing that he would call, or maybe even a rapturous return by the slow talking man with the strand of wheat between his teeth.
it’s been about 5 years, now.
Please Folks
If doctors are a dime a dozen, plumbers are a nickel a bushel. If you don’t like your plumber, find another one. Fred Pflumm Plumbing does a great job for me. No complaints.
That being established, common sense solves most plumbing problems. Stop being such dunderheads and think for a minute. Why would opening the cabinets be helpful? Room air you are heating is warmer than air “circulating” around your pipes.
Should you open cabinet doors for a sink on an interior wall?
Common sense goes a long way.
A LAME REPOST
Seriously Hearne? You are now reposting your own material? Harkens back to your days at the Star before you got shit-canned…