how to deal with a burst pipe Archives

A burst pipe is one of the most destructive emergencies in your home, says H&M Management. A burst pipe can flood your home within minutes, causing tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage. If the problem happens while you are asleep or away from your home, the effect can be disastrous.

But if it happens during the daytime while at home, you have a better chance of saving your property. Speedy and informed action can help you minimize the damage a burst pipe does to your home. That is why it is essential to know what to do when a pipe bursts in your home.

The best time to learn this information is before the problem happens. Hopefully, you are reading this to know what to do if you ever have a burst pipe in your home. But if you are currently dealing with this emergency, the information in this post will still help you.

What to do if you find a burst pipe in your home

Shut off the water supply

Before anything else, you want to stop the burst pipe from discharging more water into your home. If the broken pipe has a dedicated shut-off valve, shut the water supply by closing this valve. If it does not, your best bet to stop the water is by closing the main water shut-off valve for your house. That can usually be found in the basement, below the stairs, under a bathroom sink, in the garage or outside.

Turn off the power supply

Water and electricity do not mix very well. Even if you think there are no nearby power outlets, electrical wires or appliances, it still makes sense to turn off the electricity. Do not take a chance; turn off the power supply at the electrical panel by shutting the circuit breaker for the affected area or the entire home.

Protect your valuable items

Remove items in the path of the moving water if they can be damaged by water. Move items that have not been touched by water to a dry area. Even if an item is wet, do not leave it in the water. That will only make the damage worse. If possible, move it to a dry place.

Remove the standing water

Taking immediate action to remove standing water from your home can minimize the damage to your flooring, drywall, ceiling and other structures. You can do this manually by scooping the water with a dustpan and dumping it in a bucket. A quicker way to do this is with pumps or vacuums designed for water removal

Assess the level of damage

Removing the standing water inside your home will make it easier to assess the damage to your property. Once you have a good idea of what has been damaged, it is easier to design an effective clean-up plan. You may want to deploy fans and dehumidifiers to dry out the affected areas.

Document the damage

After turning off the water and power supplies and doing all the above steps, you should start documenting the damage to your home. Take photos and videos of the entire property. You may want to record the exact positions of damaged items before removing them. It is a good idea to add a detailed description as you video the scenes.

Contact an emergency plumber

An emergency plumber is the proper professional to call when you have a burst pipe in your home. Emergency plumbers set up operations to deal quickly and effectively with these situations. Unlike regular plumbers, an emergency plumber will get to your home in record time and with the right equipment.

File your insurance claim

While doing all these, you should have contacted your insurance company to inform them of the problem. Remember that you do not have to provide all the details immediately. Even if the company representative asks you questions, you are not obligated to provide answers. Be aware that the answers you provide will be binding on you.

Contact a water damage restoration company

Your plumber will only fix the damage to your plumbing, not the damage to your walls, flooring and belongings. To fix that, you need a water damage restoration service. Your insurer may have their preferred water damage restoration company. If not, your plumber may be able to recommend one.

Finally, water pipes don’t burst without a reason. Usually, before a water pipe ruptures, there are warning signs of the impending problem. Proper plumbing maintenance with comprehensive and regular inspections can help you detect and avoid major plumbing issues.

These inspections should be done by a professional plumber, and all identified problems should be fixed immediately. In addition to having your plumbing inspected regularly, you also want to know the steps for winterizing your plumbing to prevent burst pipes.

What should you do if you have a broken pipe in your home? Broken water pipes in the home often announce their presence in the most destructive ways, warns Haas Property Management. You may not even know there is a problem with your pipes until your home is suddenly flooded by water spilling from a leak.

In the worse cases, you don’t even see any water because the broken pipe is hidden behind a wall. The only indication of the problem is when you start to see mold around the leak area, the paint changes color, or parts of the drywall become soft and start to bulge.

However, broken and burst water pipes are not the only plumbing leaks you can have in the home. Gas pipes can also leak. Although they are not as common as water pipe leaks, gas leaks are much more dangerous. This is because of the fire risk and gas leak suffocation.

If you spot a broken pipe in your home, what can you do to minimize the damage caused by the leak and the inconvenience to your household? The first minutes of discovering a leaking pipe in your home are the most critical; here is what you can do during those times.

Emergency tips for dealing with a broken pipe

What to do if the gas line is leaking

Turn the gas off

If you smell gas in your home, do not attempt to find the source of the leak; turn off the gas. To turn the gas off, locate the gas shutoff valve. It should be right next to the gas meter, the first fitting on the inlet side of the meter. To shut the line, turn the valve until it is at a ninety-degree angle to the pipe (crosswise). You may need a wrench for this operation.

Call your plumber

When dealing with gas leaks, it’s never a good idea to try to locate the leak yourself. Professional plumbers know how to identify and fix a gas leak. If you don’t know how to turn the gas off, call the plumber and have them come to your house immediately or tell you how to turn the gas off over the phone.

If you cannot reach a plumber, your next best option is to call the gas company. The gas company will only turn off your gas; they won’t fix the leak. Moreover, if the gas company turns the gas off, you will need a permit to fix the leak and an inspection before turning it back on. This will cost you money and time.

What to do if a water pipe is broken

Find the main water shutoff valve

It is important to know the location of your main water shutoff valve before you ever have a water leak in your home. Many plumbing fixtures in your home have a dedicated shutoff valve that you can use to stop water flow to that fixture. But the main water shutoff valve controls the water flow to the entire home.

For many homes, the main water shutoff valve is located on the street-facing side of the house, along the property’s perimeter, right after the water meter. Turning this valve until it closes will stop water flow to your home. Everyone in the house should know where this feature is located and how to use it. This is the easiest way to minimize damage to your home if you have a plumbing leak.

Turn off the water supply to the fixture

If you don’t know where the main water shutoff valve is, you can try to turn the water off at the valve near the leaking fixture. This is often only possible when dealing with water heater leaks or a burst pipe emergency. A shutoff valve should be next to your water heater or a ball or gate valve on the wall close to the bathroom. Turning the valve will stop the flow of water or slow it down.

Fix the leak with a rubber pad

If there is a pinhole leak on a copper pipe, but you can’t get a plumber to come over (maybe because it is late in the night), this is what you can do: you can stop the leak temporarily by cutting a piece from a rubber pad and covering the hole with it. Clamp down on the part of rubber by tightening a hose clamp over it. This will let you run your water until you can get your local plumber to repair the leak properly.

Fix the pipe with a compression coupling

This only works for PVC pipes with a small crack in the pipe. To fix the pipe, cut off the affected portion, and slip the compression end and gasket of the coupling onto the two sides of the cut pipe. Install the sleeve from the coupling between the two ends of the cut pipe and seal the joint with the compression ends and gasket.

These are some simple steps you can do in case of a gas or water leak. Knowing what to do during these emergency plumbing situations may save you money and your property from further damage.

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What To Do When You Discover A Burst Pipe