What to Do if You Find a Burst Pipe
Monday, August 29, 2016
A burst pipe is definitely a home emergency, and the water
released into your home from a pipe which has burst has plenty of potential to
cause real damage to your home and its contents if you do not act fast. A burst
pipe should be dealt with as quickly as possible, and if you’ve found yourself
in a situation where a pipe has burst for whatever reason, it’s important that
you know exactly which steps to take in order to make sure that the leak does
not get worse or cause any further unnecessary damage to your property or
contents. We’ve listed the essential steps to dealing with a burst pipe that any
homeowner should know.
Turn Off the Water Supply
Upon discovering a burst pipe, the first thing that you should
do is turn off the water supply. You can do this by turning off your main stop
tap, which is normally found under the kitchen sink, and then moving on to
turning off the water from the main stopcock, which you will find in your home’s
cold water tank. Switching the water off at the mains is very important as this
will prevent any further water from feeding into the pipes and causing more
damage to your home.
Turn Off the Electricity
Another thing that you should definitely take into consideration
during the event of a burst pipe is turning off the electricity. If there is any
chance that the water could have or will leak onto any electrical wiring or
products, switching your home’s electricity supply off at the mains will prevent
any further problems. If there is a chance that any electrical sockets or wiring has gotten wet, it’s important to avoid touching them
as they can be highly dangerous.
Call a Plumber
Once you have prevented any further damage by turning off the
water and ensured your safety by turning off the electricity supply, you should
call a professional plumber who will be able to come out and assess the damage
in order to repair it. You should consult a plumber before the water is turned
back on in order to make sure that there are no further pipes about to burst and
that the leak has been repaired in the one which was causing problems. It’s also
a good idea to contact a slab leak detection specialist who will be able to audit your
home for any further potential leaking or burst pipes.
Check for Water Damage
Once you have gotten the main issues of water and electricity
out of the way and have been given the all-clear by a plumber and an
electrician, you will need to check your property for water damage. Depending on
the amount of water leaked and how quickly you responded to the issue, your
property could suffer varying amounts of damage from a burst pipe. One of the
most important areas to check is the ceilings; if ceilings are bulging significantly from pooling
water, they could collapse.
Burst pipes can cause serious damage, so it’s vital to know how
to deal with them!
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