Plumbers expect increase in emergency calls over the holidays

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Christmas is supposed to be a merry time, but when that toilet clogs or the sink starts overflowing there's only one person to call—a plumber.

"We don't shutdown; we don't stop taking calls," said Mike Marugo, Plumbing Service Manager with ABC Home & Commercial Services. "When the phone rings on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day it is someone in a panic."

With more emergency calls coming in Marugo has an on-call list setup and a backup list to handle the demand. In his time as a plumber he has seen it all.

"I am standing in 6 inches of water," said Marugo. " My toilets are overflowing. There is brown stuff coming up in my tub."

With COVID-19 restrictions and fewer people wanting strangers entering their home, he was unsure what the holidays would look like this year.

"We were expecting to slow down this holiday season," said Marugo. "We have not (slowed down) we are up 8 to 12% from where we were last Christmas," said Marugo.

More work, but Marugo says its worth it to help people during the holidays.

"Being able to save someone's holiday when they were about to pick up and move or all of the Christmas presents were about to get ruined from raw sewage, and you get to save the day," said Marugo.

His advice is to be patient and know there will be somebody there to help.

"Be kind to your drains, be kind to your water heater, and if they won't be kind to you then give us a call," said Marugo.

Marugo says his team goes through a mandatory COVID-19 assessment each day they start work. They also wear masks and other PPE when working in homes.