Restoration workers working in a flooded basement in Merritt.

Image Credit: FACEBOOK/ServiceMaster Kamloops

With the summer forest fires, Interior flooding and a recent cold snap, restoration workers are still busy with more pipes likely to burst as the weather in the Thompson-Okanagan warms over the weekend.

Kevin Lukey has spent 13 years as a restoration worker in Kamloops, and the past six months have been exceptionally busy.

"It's been non-stop with double digits of claims per day," Lukey said. "Wait until this weekend. A lot of people don't know they have issues, but will when the temperature is above zero."

Lukey is the marketing and business manager for ServiceMaster in Kamloops, but he still spends some time on job sites.

Although he couldn't say which buildings in Kamloops his crews have worked at, the recent cold snap froze water pipes, causing them to rupture, in homes, apartments and commercial businesses across the city, he said.

One apartment building they are working on currently had a sprinkler flood a suite on the fourth floor, and after trickling down, eventually affected anywhere from six to 10 suites, Lukey said.

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Temperatures in Kamloops were below -20 Celsius for multiple days in December due to an Arctic front that passed through the Interior of the province, bringing dangerous driving conditions and putting water pipes to the test.

"We're described as unwanted contractors because we're based on incidents," Lukey said. "We're working in someone else's home that's been drastically affected, but at the end of the day, we get to go home."

Forest fires last summer and November flooding have kept the business busy, with restoration crews even travelling from Calgary to help in Merritt.

"There is always enough work to keep us going, but then you do get these one-off events," Lukey said.

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Since they began working in Merritt just a few weeks ago after evacuation orders were lifted, they've been busy six-days-a-week for 12 hours each day.

In Kamloops, any flooding has had less to do with a rising river and more to do with extreme colds.

Water pipes won't always rupture once the water in them freezes, but there will be excess pressure behind the ice.

"When they freeze, they expand and break," Lukey said. "When the pipes start to thaw and water gets through, there's already cracks and there's pressure build up."

That's why compromised water pipes will sometimes present themselves once the outside temperatures warm up, and by then, it's too late.

The key to avoiding floods and burst pipes is prevention.

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Lukey said homeowners and tenants should check their weather stripping and be sure to note any cold drafts. He also said sudden low water pressure could be a sign of pipes starting to freeze.

When water lines are suspected to be at risk, KamCity Mechanical Ltd. owner, James Dent, suggested to keep the water running.

The constant flow of water will be less likely to freeze than stagnant water. Then, homeowners can take their efforts to finding the compromised water line.

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