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Spring's Arrival Bodes Better Times For Homeowners' Pipes And Drains

(flickr.com image from Skakerman)
(flickr.com image from Skakerman)

A cracked pipe often leads to a cracked pocketbook, as torrents of water can cause thousands of dollars in damage to basements and other parts of the home.

Paul Abrams is with Roto-Rooter, headquartered in Cincinnati. Looking back at one of the most intense winters in recent memory, he says the first week of January was its most profitable in the company’s history.

“On the flip side, it didn’t allow us to do things that we normally do, like hydro-jetting and sewer line excavations," says Abrams. "It was just too cold to subject our people to that and some of the equipment would freeze up, so…we were a little concerned about it, but in the end, we had a terrific winter as far as profitability’s concerned.”

Abrams says his company averaged 40,000 calls versus the average 24,000 during that week, and revenue was over $8 million…a record breaker that exceeded all previous weekly revenues by more than a million dollars. But often times demand was greater than their plumbing specialists could handle.

Looking ahead to spring, Abrams says homeowners should keep their sump pumps in working order because that’s a prime time for flooding.