Myrtle Beach area water pipes, heat pumps struggling with weather

The Grand Strands prolonged frigid weather has ramped up business for area plumbers and heating repair businesses, with some comparing the high numbers of calls for help in the past week to what happened in winters a decade or more ago.

We got absolutely slaughtered last week, said Steve Beatty of Four Star Plumbing and Air Conditioning in Conway. Things quieted down during the ice and snow storm the last two days, but Beatty said, When it finally gets above 40, its going to be a nightmare. As frozen lines thaw, busted pipes will become evident.

Plumbers and heating repair businesses that offer round-the-clock service said their crews have been out 24 hours a day battling frozen and busted water lines and defrosting overworked heat pumps.

Its been crazy, said Mike Scirocco of East Coast Heating and Air Conditioning in Surfside Beach. With this cold weather, its been nonstop.

While the National Weather Service says that things will warm up considerably Friday and through the weekend, the average high and low temperatures this month have been as much as 5 degrees off normal.

Dave Loewenthal, a forecaster in the Weather Services Wilmington, N.C., office, said the average high and low this month at its North Myrtle Beach monitoring station has been 42.7 degrees and 32.1 degrees, respectively. Thats three degrees cooler for the average daily high and a chilling 5 degrees below normal at night.

Temperatures have dropped into the teens since Monday and barely warmed to above freezing during the day. While it was expected to get to 38 degrees Thursday afternoon and melt some of the ice that covers most roads, it was forecast to refreeze overnight, making for a memorable Friday morning commute for those who brave it.

The Weather Service advised motorists to stay off roads until Friday afternoon, when the temperature is expected to rise into the low 50s.

Plumbers and heating services, though, cant ignore the pleas for help.

[Heat pumps] are freezing up and people are scared because theres ice on them, said Brenda Fergueson of One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning.

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Myrtle Beach area water pipes, heat pumps struggling with weather