‘There’s only so much you can do’: Demand for plumbers spikes in Acadiana as freeze grips region | Business

Hargrave’s Plumbing website states that employees serve customers in the greater Acadiana area.

But this week he got a call from a customer in Houston.

“That was pretty shocking to me,” said owner Travis Hargrave. “I would imagine it won’t be the last one I’ll get.”

Plumbers in Acadiana and across the area are overwhelmed with calls from customers with leaking pipes or other problems as freezing temperatures continue to blanket the area. The weather has already hit pipes in homes and businesses this week, and the forecast for Friday and Saturday is expected to continue below freezing temperatures.

The Friday forecast was 27 degrees at sunrise, with similar temperatures forecast for Saturday morning.

The employees at Ronnie Frisby Plumbing in Lafayette have already handled twice the normal call volume this week, said owner Taylor Boudreaux. He has five employees and has gone out on a call to help.

“Monday we had a whole day. The guys worked all day plus overtime, ”said Boudreaux. “Tuesday to this day, the time has come that I talk to someone else on the phone as soon as I hang up with someone. I tell people all the time that we will do our best and will knock them down when they walk in. People want them fixed asap, but that’s not necessarily the case if you don’t have 40-50 trucks. “

And as soon as the temperatures are above freezing, the problems arise.

“When it thaws, I usually get five calls an hour every time the temperature goes above 32,” said Hargrave. “They just pour in because suddenly everyone realizes that they have big problems.”

At C&J Plumbing in Lafayette, owner Blair Goulas tried to post videos about how people identify problems and what to do. It could help his office, which has also been inundated with calls from people whose problems need to be resolved.

The challenge is to set priorities.

You might also like

Comments are closed.