Arctic air causes water pipes to burst in multiple South Brunswick buildings

Monday’s frigid temperatures caused water pipes to burst in multiple buildings in South Brunswick.
South Brunswick police say they responded to at least eight incidents of burst pipes in homes and businesses Tuesday.
One such burst pipe was inside Christ the King Lutheran Church in the Kendall Park section of town. Church staff parishioners spent the day cleaning up the water-filled building.
“Water was just pouring down from the middle light and it truly sounded like a waterfall,” says volunteer Ginger Corwin. “Everywhere you looked it was just water.”
Church staff say that the church’s furnace went out sometime between Sunday and Tuesday. But temperatures Monday dropped below zero for a time, leading to frozen water pipes.
“The temperatures dropped so quickly and we had such high winds, and the side of the building that faces Route 27 gets the brunt of the cold. That is the side that got hit,” Corwin says.
The church’s pastor says volunteers were happy to help clean up the mess.
“The carpets will all be torn up. We’ll need to do sheet rock on the walls. All new lighting and at least one of our computers is down,” says Pastor Dale Selover.
Selover says that the church community will still be able to get together to worship, despite some of the repairs that need to be made.
The American Red Cross says that when the weather is very cold outside, let cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed water pipes. Running water through the pipes can help prevent the water from freezing.