TWIN FALLS -- If you haven't taken preventive measures to protect your home or business from harsh winter conditions, you may be in for a rude awakening. When temperatures drop below 32 degrees, unprotected pipes along exterior walls, unsealed basements and crawl spaces can cause water to freeze and pipes to break.

"It's been 20 years since Twin Falls has been this cold for this long," said Dan Woodard with Reis Plumbing and Heating. "We're swamped with so many calls that I am averaging 60 hours a week repairing damaged water systems." Woodard said some newer homes and businesses are equipped with plastic pipes that don't break as easily as the copper or galvanized pipes in older homes, but they can take up to four hours to thaw out because plastic doesn't conduct electricity, so the air around them must be warmed with an electric heater. Copper and galvanized pipes, however, will swell and burst under extreme temperatures. The cost to have a plumber make a house call is $58 per hour, Woodard said, which can easily translate to hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of repairs.

On Tuesday, a valve burst on the sprinkler system at First Church of the Nazarene on Washington Street, causing damage to a ceiling in one of the classrooms.

"Almost one-fifth of the building was flooded with water," said Pastor Jerry Kester. "There was no water damage to the walls, but estimates to replace the ceiling tiles and carpet and clean up the mess could be as high as $7,000."

With temperatures averaging 10 to 12 degrees below normal, Meteorologist George Skari with the National Weather Service in Boise said this is the coldest December since 1990.

If the month ended now, it would be the fifth-coldest December on record, Skari said.

Winter does not officially begin until Dec. 21.

Preventive measures can be taken to elevate unnecessary damage to water pipes during the cold season.

"People don't think about it until it's too late," Woodard said. "A little common sense could go a long way to avoid costly repairs."

Preventive measures Poke holes in heating ducts to allow warm air to circulate in crawl spaces Keep water running at a trickle before temperatures drop Wrap pipes with insulation and heating tape.