ROCK ISLAND - The relentless rounds of frigid temps have swamped local plumbers with calls of pipes that have burst.
Deanna Hall called Crawford Company as soon as the business opened this morning over a busted pipe in the wall of her bathroom.
"Last night, all of a sudden we saw gushing water by the spigot, and I yelled at my husband and he went and shut down the water," said Hall.
"Luckily, we were home. Our insurance company told me about a family that just returned from vacation, and their upstairs bathroom was literally now in their dining room," she said.
Repairs can cost between $500 to $1,000.
Experts say you can usually prevent pipes from freezing if you keep a faucet running very slowly.
"As long as there's a flow of water, it should not freeze," said plumber Joe Reese.
If a pipe does freeze, use a hair dryer, heat gun, heating pad, or hot towels to thaw it.
Never use a device with an open flame.