Experiencing a Burst Water Pipe? Here's How to Handle It
The pipes that supply clean water to your home may burst at some point. Some of the likely reasons why this may happen include freezing of the pipes during winter or corrosion that occurs over the years.
No matter the reason why your water pipes may burst, you'll need to act quickly to stop the pouring water from going to waste -- and possibly damaging your home and household possessions.
With that said, keep reading to learn how to deal with a plumbing emergency involving burst pipes.
Shut Off the Water Supply
The first thing you should do when you have a burst pipe is to stop water from flowing through the damaged pipe. In fact, turning off the water is usually the first step of any plumbing repair.
Locate the main water shut-off valve and turn off the water supply. If the burst pipe delivers water to specific areas of the house, you can turn off the individual shut-off valve that regulates the flow of water through the pipe.
Disconnect Your Electricity Supply
A burst pipe could be potentially fatal if electricity isn't turned off. Once you have stopped flow of water through the damaged pipe, turn off the electricity to your house at the mains electricity panel.
Protect Your Belongings from Possible Water Damage
If a burst pipe has caused flooding inside your home, you should protect all salvageable household belongings from possible water damage. This may mean moving items such as upholstered furniture, antiques, area rugs, electronics and more to a safe location until professional cleaners can attend to them.
It may also mean covering furniture that can't easily be moved with tarps or plastic sheets to help protect them from further water damage.
Clean and Dry Your House
Once you've protected your household belongings from water damage, use a small pail and dry mop to remove as much water as you can out of your home. After you've removed all water and other debris from your home, ventilate the house until it becomes completely dry -- this is essential to preventing mould growth.
Consider seeking out a water damage remediation specialist that can safely and quickly remove all the water from your home and initiate the drying process.
Get in Touch With an Emergency Plumber
Restoring a home after water damage may take time. As you wait for a water damage remediation expert to arrive, contact an emergency plumber to come to your home and fix your burst pipe. This way, you can get your water supply back to normal.
Aside from repairing your burst pipe, a good emergency plumber should provide suggestions on how to prevent a recurrence of the problem. This way, you won't have to worry about your pipes bursting again. Companies like Sam's Local Plumbing can offer more information.
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