DALLAS — The demand for plumbers across Texas continues to grow as more people find out they have water leaks and other plumbing issues. Dallas based plumbers, Ashcroft Plumbing & Gas, said calls for service have been nonstop since the winter storm.
"We are busy my man, but it's great," said plumbing apprentice Jordan Ashcroft. "We’re just trying to help people out as much as we can."
From bursting pipes to broken water heaters, calls for service are keeping the brother duo busy through at least April. Water that had been frozen less than a week ago, is now being pumped out of homes so the plumbing team can assess the damage.
"No one really could’ve prepared for this," said master plumber Josh Ashcroft. "This is unlike anything I’ve ever in my career seen before, and we are just trying to get everyone’s water back on as quick as possible."
An increased demand for pipes and water heaters is creating a further backlog however. On Monday, the brother installed the last water heater they had in stock. More than a dozen more water heaters have already been ordered, but nearly every brand is on backorder.
The Ashcroft brothers say a backlog of supplies could make things worse for homeowners like Teresa Kraemer, who is depending on neighbors for clean water.
"It sucks," said Kraemer. "I’ve had it off since Tuesday, it’ll be a week tomorrow."
If you're still looking for a plumber be aware of unlicensed and out-of-state plumbers not working up to Texas code.
An easy way to verify that you have a licensed plumber is to ask them for their state plumbing license and if they are from out of state, a temporary provisional permit should have been issued to that plumber following an order issued by Gov. Greg Abbott last week.