HVAC Companies busy after latest round of winter weather

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- After back-to-back winter weather systems made their way through the Ozarks, several local HVAC companies are still working overtime to fix any issues the storms left behind.

Local workers responded to almost anything, but issues with busted pipes, furnace issues and water heater troubles were the most common problems.

Plumbers say the recent weather presented challenges, but they've been able to work around them.

"The last couple of days, almost two weeks. We've been busy solid. Late night hours, just running hard. The ice storm definitely [impacted us], because it was a little bit colder," Eric Bundy with All-Klear Plumbing Heating Cooling and Electric said.

Bundy says the phone hasn't stopped ringing.

"We're pretty much out of the freeze-up call stage now. We've caught up on those. We're starting to go back to regular installs right now. Quite a few water heaters going out," Bundy said.

Elsewhere in Springfield, All-Klear Plumber Garrett Harper just finished a call related to a water heater.

He says he's averaging around 50 hours a week, like many others on staff.

"[My company's good] about not working their guys super long weeks," Harper said. "We've been really rocking and rolling with the after-hours calls and with the weather getting colder, we've started to get some freezing pipes calls, so are just all hands on deck."

It's been a variety of calls for the company and it's likely they're not the only company busy after the recent winter weather systems that moved through the Ozarks last week.

"I'm still getting a lot of drain backups. Of course, that's something that happens regularly. We had some frozen pipe calls and then some just standard frozen hose bibs," Harper said.

"Some of the more uncommon ones are starting to show now. Maybe a leak in the elbow now due to the freezing pipes going back and fixing those," Bundy said.

The two say the ice and snow made getting to jobs more difficult, but the work still gets done.

"Simple things like draining a water heater. I have to have a hose in order to do so and all my hoses freeze up with the temperatures. So then I spend extra time on the job, thawing out my hoses. When I'm doing sewer calls, I am dragging my sewer machine through. The snow is always accumulating more and more snow," Harper said. "People are very understanding at these times and, you know, they understand I'm here for them and they also understand that, you know, that sometimes things take a little bit longer, especially given the current climate."

"Just getting around town with the roads [with the weather], that kind of made it difficult, pulling guys out who get stuck in ditches. Did that last week," Bundy said.