As temperatures continue to plunge, many residents could soon have a serious problem on their hands - frozen pipes.

Frozen pipes happen most when those pipes are outside of the building or near an outside wall and uninsulated.

Employees at Pentri Plumbing & Heating in Dyker Heights say frozen pipes can cost thousands of dollars to fix, destroying walls and causing extreme water damage.

However, they tell News 12 there are things homeowners can do to avoid the problem. Among them, installing good insulation, draining outside piping, and getting heat to problem areas to prevent ice from forming.

"We've seen on plenty of occasions where a pipe freezes and ceilings start to fall, walls have to be opened, there's quite a bit of demolition just to get to the pipe before it can even be fixed," says Pentri Plumbing & Heating Project Manager Mike O'Brien.

O’Brien says he's seen the problem of frozen pipes get worse over the years. He says the reason for it is often shoddy construction, with people wanting to cut corners to save money.