how to handle burst pipes 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 plumbing 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, a professional 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.

No landlord ever wants to hear that a water pipe or the heater in their rental property has gone bust. Yet these are the kind of things that happen during winter. As Real Property Group warns, low temperatures in wintry weather subject a rental to stresses that may leave you with costly repairs.

But these problems can be prevented if you take the right actions before the icy winds of winter set in. It is possible to winter-proof your rental property and keep the home’s systems running smoothly throughout the cold season.

The set of proactive actions you take to preempt and prevent problems during winter in is known as winterizing a property. What are the steps for winterizing a rental property to keep pipes from bursting?

How to winterize a rental property

The first thing is to know the components of the home that are most likely to cause problems during winter. Here is a list of the places to pay attention to and the recommended steps to winterize them.

Water pipes

Water pipes are prone to freeze when temperatures get very low. To keep this from happening, wrap pipes in insulating foam pipe covers. This must be done for all pipes located in outside-facing walls. Also, seal holes and gaps around pipe entry points; these openings expose the pipes to extreme cold.

To keep outside pipes from freezing and bursting, turn off exterior faucets and protect them with insulated faucet covers. Remove and store outdoor hoses. Have the sprinkler system flushed by an expert.

Windows, doors, and outlets

Drafty windows and gaps around doors or outlets will result in heat loss. Seal all gaps by caulking them. Apply spray foam to seal gaps under window trim. Use shrink film insulation to seal windows. Apply weather stripping around the edges of doors. Seal openings around outlets with foam outlet insulation gaskets.

Window AC units

Remove window AC units, drain, and stow them away. This will let you seal the hole where the unit was more efficiently. It will also ensure snow does not pile up on the AC and put additional strain on windowsills. If you are unable to remove your ACs, using window air conditioner covers is the next best option.

HVAC systems

Replace the air filters in the HVAC to keep the system working optimally. Test run the furnace to make sure it is working as expected. Ideally, you should have the furnace inspected and serviced. If you use radiant heat, bleed your steam valves to remove trapped air. Test the sump pump; pour enough water into the well until it triggers the float.

Water heater, fireplace, and chimney

If you use a tank heater, drain it to remove sediment. To reduce heat loss, wrap the heater with a water heater insulation wrap. Get an expert to inspect and clean the chimney and fireplace. Ensure the damper is operating properly. Remind the tenants to keep the chimney flue closed when not in use.

Other things to do

Leave faucets open with a small drip to keep water flowing through the pipes. Reverse the ceiling fan blades to circulate the warm air near the ceiling around the room. Set the thermostat temperature at a minimum of 60 degrees to protect your pipes. To keep pipes above freezing temperature, ask your tenants to leave the closet and cabinet doors slightly open at all times.

What to do when things go wrong

If after taking these steps you still end up with a burst or frozen pipe, what should you do?

How to handle frozen pipes

If you find that a pipe is frozen, the only thing to do is thaw it. You may do this as long as the pipe is not damaged. You know a pipe is frozen when you can get little or no water. The first thing to do is to shut off the main water valve.

Following this, you should take immediate action. Do not wait for the pipe to thaw naturally or try to thaw it with a hairdryer. Waiting it out will increase the stress on your tenants and a hairdryer will leave you with more problems by potentially damaging the pipe.

Your best option is to call an emergency plumber. They have the equipment and expertise to thaw your frozen pipes without damaging your plumbing.

What to do when pipes burst

A burst pipe is even worse than a frozen pipe; the released water can damage your building and your tenant’s belongings. To minimize the damage and restore water supply to the rental, the problem must be addressed as quickly as possible.

Two options for solving this problem are to fix the section of the damaged pipe only or replace the entire length of the pipe. Clearly, you want to avoid a complete replacement when fixing only the damaged section will serve.

This is why you need an experienced emergency plumber like the Chicago Plumbing Experts, who will not only treat the burst pipe as an emergency but also give you an honest solution to the problem.

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What To Do When You Discover A Burst Pipe