Jan 12, 2009 10:45 pm US/Central
What You Need To Do To Beat The Cold
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
-
-
Car battery troubles are the biggest problems for stranded motorists in the bitter cold.
CBS
Along with the blizzard warning, we are looking at a serious stretch of sub-zero weather. CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports with a look at what you need to do to beat the cold.
The snow was coming down in big, heavy flakes in Des Plaines during Monday's rush hour – just a preview of the winter blast to come.
But it's the cold on the way that has some plumbers preparing to answer a flood of calls from homeowners.
"We actually get to the point where sometimes we can't even answer all the calls, but we do everything that we can," said plumber Brian Wilk, Bishop Plumbing Inc.
He has a fleet of trucks ready to roll equipped with electric warmers for frozen household pipes.
"It's an electric piece of equipment that we can put current through the actual piping which will thaw those frozen pipes in the middle of a wall.
Frozen pipes can break and leave a big mess when they thaw.
"Check the heat tapes, if they're not working, get it replaced," said one woman. "Otherwise you're gonna have broken pipes once they start thawing out."
She knows now keeping the water running can help.
"You're gonna wanna turn on your cold till you have a steady, slow stream, and then turn the hot on as well so you're drawing water from both water supplies – hot and cold," Wilk said.
The reason behind turning on both hot and cold sources is because if you turn on just one, the other will freeze.
If your car is left parked outside, chances are it will struggle a bit to run.
"Put the air in the tires, 35 pounds, gas 100 percent, full tank," one motorist said.
And a new business –
MidwestMobileMechanic.com - is ready to help drivers on road. The owners say battery troubles are the biggest problems for stranded motorists, but they need to check fluid levels too.
"We're helping out a lot of people," he said. "We're also teaching a lot of people too because when we come out to them, they watch us and say, 'hey, that's how it's done, oh, cool'."
The company says they have anything that you would need to help you get your car started and get back on the road.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Celebrity Watcher: Real Or Fake?
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
