Plumbers say threat of burst pipes in metro Atlanta is far from over

Don’t be fooled by the warmer weather.

Metro Atlanta plumbers say the threat of bursting pipes is far from over.

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Plumbers all over north Georgia have been scrambling to fix pipes that burst after an Arctic blast left the southeast in freezing temperatures for several days.

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Channel 2 Action News has gotten calls from all over metro Atlanta about water leaks, flooded homes and being left with no water for days on end.

Channel 2′s Candace McCowan spoke to plumbers who said they are only expecting to get more calls as the weather warms up.

Roto Rooter plumber Kamal Hasan explained what is causing pipes to continue to burst.

“When the line got froze up, there was no leak there, because it’s ice,” Hasan said. “Now it’s melting, so you see the water now coming out. The next couple of days you may see more calls, too.”

Hasan said it could be a week before plumbers catch up to the extraordinary numbers of calls.

Channel 2′s Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell was in Marietta Tuesday, where she road along with two plumbers who were trying to keep up with the demand.

Rick Puente and David Stein with Dupree Plumbing were tackling 30 calls, just going door-to-door to try to help customers. At one home, the home owner’s ceiling had fallen.

“The water’s been leaking out through the ceiling, down through the kitchen and into the basement,” Stein said.

Homeowner Renita Coleman said she turned her faucets on to dripping but forgot to do it on the third floor. Stein said that wouldn’t have helped the older pipes in her house anyway.

“With the type of pipe that was in there, I think it was one of those things,” Stein said. “It was just time for that pipe.”

Puente said this is the worst plumbing catastrophe he’s ever seen.

“This is like, real terrible,” Puente said. “I think more people need to be more aware when something like this occurs, or it’s coming up.”

Georgia’s insurance commissioner said that homeowners’ policies will likely cover the cost of any damage or repairs, but some renters will likely be on the hook to cover damage to their personal belongings.