What Recent Record Temperatures Mean for Plumbers

In the last year, the world has seen an alarming increase in new temperature records. Currently, many cities in the United States and other parts of the world are experiencing some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded on Earth. This is a direct effect of global warming, which is the gradual rise in the earth’s temperature caused by high levels of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere.

Global warming is not just about the planet getting hotter, as winters in recent years have also successfully set some of the lowest recorded temperatures in some areas of the country.

All of these recent temperature changes have provided further proof of the global warming crisis but have also highlighted another important thing: home service providers haven’t been this busy in a while.

Frozen Pipes in Texas

When a winter storm and cold front rolled through Texas early this year, along with many other parts of the country, Texans and the plumbers who serve them had no idea what was in store. The winter weather was a true nightmare in many ways, driving people out of their homes or in a mad frenzy to protect their space through DIY methods.

While some property owners were able to successfully protect their pipes from freezing and the damage that follows with the thawing, many were not either due to a lack of time, tools, or general know-how since Texas usually doesn’t experience these types of freezing temperatures. The houses built in Houston and the surrounding areas aren’t built for these types of frigid temperatures.

When it comes to frozen pipes, the damage doesn’t usually occur during the initial freezing, but the thawing that comes after. Once the snow settles, the sun breaks through the clouds, and temperatures begin to return to normal, frozen pipes begin to thaw. This causes an influx of water in the system’s pipes, increasing pressure on both sides of the frozen section. In turn, the pipe is likely to rupture when a certain threshold of pressure is reached.

Similar to how you may see a large number of roofers dotted down a street after a hail storm, there was an unprecedented need for professional plumbers. Plumbers began to see more work than ever. New York Times even reported that in some areas of Texas, plumbing companies had to stop answering the phone as the workload was simply too much to handle.

While plumbing companies were able to complete the minor repairs they were able to do on the fly, most homes required some type of major work, usually involving relining of the system.

Will This Winter Be the Same?

While lawmakers and scientists are pushing for more changes to be made in efforts to cut down on carbon emissions and the United State’s impact on Global Warming, it’s predicted that even the most immediate change will take a few years to have a large impact on the overall picture we have of global warming.

Simply put, this means that this next winter will offer some of the same complications we saw of the last. While some people may be more prepared this time around, the need for professional and timely plumbers will be as large as ever.

What Does This Mean for your Plumbing Company?

These weather changes have continued to highlight how important plumbing communities are to both our residential and commercial areas, especially in places like Texas. As the weather begins to change for the foreseeable future, your plumbing company must be prepared to meet the increased demand. Some important things to consider providing include:

• Emergency Services – If your community experiences a cold front without much warning, you’ll want to be sure you’re able to deliver the proper service and repairs needed at a moment’s notice. A 24/7 customer care line is crucial.
• Preventive Care – One way to prevent damage for your customers and extra work for you later is offering routine preventive care. Whether it’s drain cleaning or winterization of your pipes, regular professional plumbing maintenance is key.
• Expansive Team – Of course, you’re always going to be limited on how many customers you can serve in a day, but having more team members, equipment, and service vehicles can help you keep up with an influx of leads.
• Other Home Services – Plumbing is not the only home service industry that is seeing direct results from global warming. Many plumbers are beginning to offer other home services (such as HVAC care) to provide more comprehensive solutions to their customers.

Don’t Fall Behind – Request More Information Today!

Lucky for you, whether you’re looking to start your own plumbing company to help your local community keep their plumbing in working order all year long, or you need some help taking your current plumbing company to the next level, our franchise development team can help you get started on the road to owning your very own Benjamin Franklin Plumbing location in your part of the US.

Ready to learn more? Request more information about our plumbing franchise opportunities today – call us at (855) 880-4024 or contact us online.