Water pipes can burst any time. This can happen because of too much pressure, faulty pipes, or poor plumbing services. The worst part is that they burst when you least expect and when they do, they can cause damage and inconvenience you at home. Therefore, it is good to be prepared for this situation by knowing what you should do immediately notice a burst pipe. Do not panic because that may delay your reaction. Instead of that, move swiftly to correct the situation by trying the following things.
Disconnect the water supply
The water supply is the main reason why the pipes burst. If there were no water running, you would not have noticed that the pipe has burst and therefore, you should move quickly to disconnect it. Disconnecting enables you to minimize the amount of water that spills over to the floors. If you are near the place of the accident, it will be easy to stop it before too much water floors out of it. However, when it happens while you are outdoors, you can be sure that there will be a lot of damage before you come back.
The location of the water supply varies depending on your plumbing system. For instance, you will notice that some homes have a disconnection valve right next to every tap. However, there are those that have it far away, and therefore, you have to locate it. What this situation tells you is that when you move into a house, check to know where the disconnections are so that you may always be ready to disconnect whenever there is an accident.
Disconnect the electricity supply
This action is for safety purposes. If the electricity is one and there is water spilling all over the place, the only thing that you can expect is that it will get into the sockets and other outlets. This can lead to electrocution because water is a good conductor of electricity. When you are standing in the water, and live cables get into conduct with it, you will be in great danger. Apart from harming you, the water can cause damage to the electrical connection, and so, you will have to repair it.
The main switch is always located at the point where electricity enters the house. Therefore, you can rush there are switch off everything. In some homes, every room has its control unity. Therefore, if the pipe bursts in the kitchen, you can only switch the power supply to the kitchen and not interfere with the rest of the house. This helps you to avoid interfering with essential appliances that require power supply all the time.
Call the plumber
Get on the phone and call a plumber as fast as possible. Do not wait until you have cleared everything because it may be too late. Remember that you have disconnected the supply and you may not be able to use water in the house until the pipe is fixed. When you call them early, they will be on their way as you continue with the other tasks that will make your home safe from any more damage. No matter where you live, there must be a plumber that can be found easily.
One of the challenges you are likely to face when looking for a plumber is to find one who is readily available. You never know if they are engaged elsewhere or if they are out of town. Therefore, you may want to have several options. The good thing is that no matter where you live, you will always find plumbers who are willing to serve you any time. While waiting for the plumber to arrive, you can do some leg work like finding a supplier for the tubing or pipes, what type of tubes, or would it be better if you install and look for carbon tubing with a variety of grades and sizes. For example, when you look for Brisbane Plumbers, you will find those who are on standby to pick your calls and help you with every problem related to your water systems. You only need to make sure that they are suitable for the job.
Remove the rugs and other similar items
When a pipe bursts near a room that has rugs and carpets, they will be soaked, and this means that you will have to clean them. This is something that you did not plan, and so, you may want to move fast and move them before the water reaches them. Take them outside or to the part of the house where there is no water. This step is more critical if your rugs are the type that requires specialized cleaning. Maybe, you just acquired new ones the other day, and you do not want to damage them.
If by any chance the rugs are already soaked, it is not their end. Set them aside and find a rug cleaner to work on them. If you have the time, you can take up this task yourself and save the money. Regardless of the steps that you take, the most important thing is to ensure that they are properly cleaned and dried.
Open the doors and windows
If the weather allows, open all the doors and windows to let fresh air before you start cleaning the water from the floor where it has spread. The fresh helps to dry the house faster so that you can eliminate the possibility of mold. An alternative if the weather does not allow you to open the doors is to turn on the heating system. Set the thermostat of your HVAC system to a higher level so that the room is heated and the coldness caused by water eliminated. Throughout this process, ensure that you are safe and comfortable by wearing the right gear.
When the plumber arrives, they will inspect the part that burst and repair it. They will also inspect the entire plumbing system so that they can tell if there are parts that are likely to explode too. After the plumber is done, make sure that you invite a mold removal company so that they can check for possible signs of mold arising from the water leakage. They will also use special chemicals to make sure that mold does not grow in your house.
