Plumbers and heating technicians in southern Alberta are working around the clock to clean up the chaos caused by the cold snap – from broken boilers to frozen pipes, people and their homes are being severely affected by the weather.
Pete Archdekin, owner of Pete the Plumber, a plumbing and heating company in Calgary, said his crews are working nearly around the clock to meet service and repair needs.
“The tow truck drivers have their hands full … we have even more to do. People can walk away from their vehicle and say, ‘I’ll pick it up in a week.’ They can’t just leave their house and let it freeze,” he said.
Adequate heat is essential in Canadian winters, but most of Pete the plumber’s calls were about heating problems.
But waiting times for repairs have skyrocketed.
Because of the sudden and extreme cold, Archdekin says he is scheduling appointments for first-time clients with at least three days’ notice.
The cold hits us hard
Patricia O’Donnell lives on a ranch near Lethbridge. She said her family has been without heat since Thursday morning.
At around 4 a.m. the family was awakened by an unusually cold house.
“So we spent the whole day on the phone. We called about six or seven different HVAC companies, and none of them could get to us until the evening,” she said.
When a technician finally arrived, he discovered that the entire heating system had to be replaced, which meant more days without heat.
According to Environment Canada, temperatures in Lethbridge fell to as low as -41°C over the weekend.
“It was incredibly cold (in our house),” O’Donnell said, adding that her neighbors were able to bring supplies over.
“We had about ten heaters running, one in each room. You had to be very strategic about plugging something in. For example, you had to unplug one of the heaters to plug in the toaster so that you didn’t blow all the fuses in the house.”
Patricia O’Donnell of southern Alberta, pictured here with her husband and three daughters, says her heater broke during the cold snap. (Submitted by Patricia O’Donnell)
O’Donnell says her family, with three young daughters, all under the age of eight, had to spend a lot of time snuggling up to whatever source of warmth was there.
“The only really stressful part, I would say, was when our water finally froze. We couldn’t flush the toilet, the bathtub, cook, wash the dishes or anything like that.”
O’Donnell said fortunately her new heater was up and running Monday night.
Don’t despair – prepare yourself
So how can Albertans plan ahead and winterize their homes?
Archdekin has some advice for you on how to avoid pipe problems and boiler failures during a cold snap:
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If you leave town to escape the cold, make sure someone stops by and checks on you.
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Keep your water moving by showering and flushing the toilet.
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Turn off your home’s outside water line that leads to the faucet. before the cold strikes.
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Check your furnace’s air filters regularly and perform any necessary maintenance.
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If icicles form on a vent, carefully knock them off.
Although Archdekin and his team are busy and tired, he has given you some free advice in case your heating fails during a severe frost:
“Don’t panic. Bring in the heaters. Get two or three quotes.”
