BUFFALO, N.Y. — Area plumbing, heating and cooling companies across Western New York have crews working overtime to answer an increasing amount of service calls.

"It's very frustrating for the homeowners. Frozen pipes, frozen water lines. Could be for a sink, could be for showers, could be the whole house," said John Dollendorf, Roy's Plumbing, Heating and Cooling plumbing manager.

To help solve the issue, Roy’s in the town of Tonawanda uses electronic thawing equipment or heat guns, and urges people not to use torches or propane heaters. Those with busted pipes are advised to shut off the main water supply to prevent possible flooding.

“If it bursts, it can put a lot of water in the home, possibly flood an area. What they should do is try to shut the main water supply off where the water comes into the home," said Dollendorf.

Dollendorf says people should take precautions and prepare their home as early as the fall.

“Seal up any areas where air can come in, insulate a little extra, put some heat trace on the line. Keep cabinet doors open, things like that, especially if you have areas that freeze all the time," said Dollendorf.

“You've got to worry about pipes in your basement, you've got to worry about fixtures in your home. There’s a lot of things that need heat to stay where they're at, so that could be very dangerous," said James Sabal, Roy's Plumbing, Cooling and Heating HVAC manager.

As for your furnace, Roy's says the colder it is outside, the harder it works inside and has a greater chance of breaking down.

"Some of the things that you want to check is your outside venting. Check your thermostat to make sure you've got fresh batteries in there, because it's going to be on and working a lot more often than it normally is. Check that filter, make sure it's clean," said Sabal.

It’s advice experts say could save someone thousands of dollars in damages.