LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — For plumbers, there aren't many times that are busier than the winter.
Cold weather tends to make problems worse— something Josh Gusewelle with Ray Lusk Plumbing knows all too well.
"The phone definitely rings more this time of year than others, yeah," he said. "Winter time is always higher call volumes, holidays, higher call volumes."
As we count down the days to the end of the year, Gusewelle has been counting the number of calls they've been getting, and when winter weather moves in toward the end of the week, that number is likely to go up.
That cold weather could spell problems for them.
"Especially when we drop into these frigid temperatures we're about to see the next few days, there's gonna be a lot of people that are gonna have frozen pipes, houses without running water," Gusewelle explained.
Of course, they're not the only ones who have been getting ready.
"Anything below freezing, you're susceptible to frozen and busted pipes," Greg Smelser, owner of Clog Hogs, said.
Smelser warns of the same dangers that Gusewelle mentioned. Cold weather can mess up your pipes and cause damage if not prepped right.
"It's proven, year, after year, after year, I do it in my own house, I have to," Smelser said. "I have to because I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night and deal with it."
Those tips are simple.
Leaving your faucets dripping to keep pipes from bursting, and opening your cabinet doors to the sinks could help with that as well.
If you have outside spigots, make sure those are covered.
"It's gonna save you a big headache, 'cause it usually happens at the worst time," Smelser said. "[Like the] middle of the night."
Simple tips like this can save you money in the long run.
"That little bit of extra money you're gonna spend on energy, gas, water," Gusewelle said. "You're gonna make it back tenfold when you don't have to call us for the cost of plumbing repair."