A burst or leaking pipe can lead to extensive damage fast. In fact, burst pipes are one of the leading causes of water damage in a home. If you’re looking at burst pipe restoration, there are a few things that you can do.
At some point, you may need to call in backup with a restoration company, but here are some tips for you after you discover a burst pipe.
Shut Off Water
The first thing you should do is to shut off the water source. This can typically be done through a water shutoff valve on the pipes, depending on where the burst pipe is. If you can find the valve, you can shut off water to just that location.
If you seem to have a bigger issue with a burst pipe, you can shut off water at the main line to the whole home. We recommend starting with the shutoff valve on the pipes if this will impact the appropriate area.
On that same note, it’s possible you will need to shut off electricity for safety purposes if you have an extensive leak or depending on where it is.
Leave Faucets Open
Since you are diverting the pressure where the shutoff valve is, it’s a good idea to open a faucet elsewhere in the home. Even if your water is shut off at the main line, you should open a faucet (or several faucets) in order to avoid an issue with the water pressure.
Opening the faucets helps to relieve some of that pressure so you don’t end up with a bigger problem.
Remove Water
Once you get the water stopped, you need to start removing the water from the area affected. You can do this in several ways.
- Use a shop vac or wet vac to soak up and remove water
- Turn on fans
- Set up dehumidifiers
- Call a professional with commercial water removal equipment
- Grab mops and buckets and towels
Block or Stop the Leak
You need to be able to block or stop the leak until you can get the affected pipe fixed. There is more than one way to do this, and it may depend on how bad the burst pipe is or what you have on hand.
Here are a couple of options.
- Cover the break with rubber and a clamp
- Cover the break with wood and a clamp
Both of these options use a clamp to hold the piece on. You can use a wrench or something like a C-clamp to hold the wood or rubber in place until the pipe is fixed and the leak repaired.
Professional Burst Pipe Restoration Service
When you’re dealing with a burst pipe or any other type of water damage, Redeeming Restoration can help. We have the skills and equipment to help remove water and restore the area affected by the water.
Give us a call any time and we will be there for you!
