How To Deal With A Burst Pipe At Home
If a water pipe bursts in your home you’ll be looking at approximately 400 liters of water entering your home every hour. That’s roughly the same as five full baths of water. It doesn’t take much imagination for you to realize how quickly this will cause damage.
There are several risks when your house starts to flood.
Water Damage
The most obvious issue is water damage to your furniture and personal possessions. In most cases, the furniture will be damaged and need to be replaced. In terms of sentimental items, these can never be replaced.
Electrical Issue
When water pours into your home it will soak the floors and start entering the walls. Any decoration on the walls will be damaged and the insulation in your home is likely to soak up the water. This means anything running through the insulation, such as electrical wiring will get wet.
When electrical wiring gets wet you’ll increase the likelihood of a short circuit, potentially resulting in a fire. It may seem bizarre that water can cause a fire but electrical issues are one of the most common causes of house fires.
Risk To Life
Of course, electrical short circuits can also result in you or your loved ones getting an electric shock. This could be fatal, especially if you’re standing in water at the time.
In addition, although the risk may seem low, it is possible that the rising water level can cause you to drown.
It’s essential to know what to do when a pipe bursts in your home!
The Stop Valve
The most important thing to know about your plumbing system is where the main valve is. Every house will have a shut-off valve that is located at the water meter or very close to it. You may also have valves inside your house that allow you to shut off specific sections of your home.
As soon as you move in you should note where all the valves are. If you get a burst pipe then shut off the valve to that section of pipe. If necessary shut off the valve to the entire house.
That minimizes the damage and the risk.
Call A Plumber
You need to have the number of a good emergency plumbing in your phone. Call them and tell them you have a burst pipe. They’ll be there to assess the issue, repair the pipe, and verify that the other pipes aren’t about to burst.
That’s important as you don’t want to fix one pipe only to face the same problem a few days later.
Dry Everything
The next step is to get the water out of your home. You can start this while waiting for a plumber. A pump can help or old-fashioned buckets. You’ll need to remove the soft furnishings and even wash and dry them or discard them.
Where the water has been on the floor and walls you need to make sure it is fully dry before putting anything new down. That means plenty of ventilation.
Finally, make sure you have your plumbing regularly inspected, it can help to prevent this from happening.
