Plumbing emergencies in the home are almost inevitable. A burst pipe is one of the worst plumbing emergencies in your home, notes McCourt management. The sight of a broken pipe spewing water into your walls, flooring, and personal belongings is enough to make most people panic.
What should you do if you find yourself confronted with this situation? It is advisable to take timely and informed action to stop a burst pipe from causing massive damage to your home. Below are the steps to take if you have discovered a burst pipe inside your home.
What to do if you have a burst pipe in your home
- Shut off the water supply
Find the dedicated shut-off valve for the broken pipe and turn it off. If it doesn’t have its shut-off valve, turn off the water supply from the main water shut-off valve. This valve can be found in the basement or outside, on the street-facing side of your house. Call a professional plumber immediately if you don’t know where to find the shut-off valve.
- Turn off the electricity
Avoid the risk of electrocution; if there are power outlets or appliances near the area of the burst pipe, turn off the power supply to your home. When doing this, avoid stepping inside or touching the standing water. If you are unsure how to do this, leave everything as it is and call an emergency plumber or your electrician.
- Drain the pipes
Even after shutting your home’s water supply, the burst pipe may discharge water. That is because of the water pressure inside your piping. Fix this by opening the faucets in the home to relieve the water pressure inside your plumbing system. You may also use buckets or other containers to catch the water.
- Move dry or salvageable items
To minimize the damage, move furniture and valuables out of the reach of the water. Do not bother with wet items that cannot be salvaged. For all other items, move them to a dry room. Do this step as quickly as possible; it will not only reduce the impact of the emergency, you will have an easier time with your insurer.
- Call an emergency plumber
Not all plumbers have the know-how or equipment to deal with a burst pipe. However, a plumbing emergency service is set up for these situations. Even if a regular plumber can fix the problem, they will not dispatch to your home immediately unless they offer 247 services. An emergency plumbing service can do this, and they will arrive with the tools and supplies needed to fix the burst pipe.
- Document the damage
To help you with your insurance claim, take photos and videos of the affected rooms. Walk through the area with a smartphone to record the broken pipe, damaged items, and standing water on the floor. Add a voice commentary to make it easier to understand. Key information that should be in your records includes a timeline of the events, photo/video evidence, and a detailed description.
- Perform temporary fixes
While waiting for your plumber, do what you can to fix the damage to your home. For instance, if there is a minor leak inside the house, fix it with a pipe patch or clamp. For wet items that can be salvaged, start the cleaning and drying process. That will help prevent further damage to the items and reduce the risk of mold growing in your home.
- Remove standing water
The longer you let water stand on your flooring, the more damage it will cause and the higher your repair costs. Removing the water also cuts the risk of follow-up problems like mold, water contamination, and mosquitoes inside your home. To evacuate the water, use a pump or vacuum designed for water removal. Or scoop the water into a bucket.
- Consider preventive measures
A professional plumber will fix your damaged pipe, identify the cause of the problem, and recommend steps to prevent a recurrence. Steps to avoid a burst pipe in the future may include winterizing your water pipes to protect them from cold, monitoring the water pressure in your home, and having a professional plumber inspect your plumbing once a year.
Finally, it is vital to have a standing relationship with an emergency plumber. That should be a part of your home’s overall emergency preparedness program. Why should you do this? Because plumbing emergencies don’t announce themselves before they happen.
Also, the best time to find a good emergency plumber is not when you are in the middle of a plumbing emergency in your home. It is hard to ask the right questions when a burst pipe is damaging your home, and you want to fix the problem fast.
That is why you want to do the work of finding an emergency plumber long before you will ever need one.