What will you do if you have burst water mains? It
just simply is exhausting experiencing water spraying everywhere. It will also
only wreak havoc on the entire property. Anyone in your family will also be
caused to panic. If you’re not fully prepared and knowledgeable in this field,
it will stress you out the most. Save yourself more from panic. Handle your
burst
water mains with confidence in this sense.
But above all else, contact a plumber as the first
line of defense. Doing so protects you from extensive damage to the water
mains. With the professional help offered, you’ll easily create an action plan.
This will guide you in dealing with burst water mains emergency situation. The
first plan of action will include shutting off water to the house.
Search for the Water Shut Off Valve
It’s required to shut off the main water valve. Know
where exactly it is found. Know it ahead of time as its one essential piece of
information, anyway. Picture yourself in one scenario experiencing burst water mains. You’re scrambling all throughout the place searching for the shut-off
valve. The water is continuously spraying around. Check the crawl spaces, the
basement, & the water heater. Know if the main water shut-off valve is
right through the house. It may be is found under the metal lid next to the
street.
The second scenario is the same one experiencing burst
water mains. You have contacted a plumber & you have shut off the water to
the house. You do it immediately since you know exactly where to search the
main shut-off valve. You confidently completed it. This scenario only means to
say you’re a competent homeowner. This one’s better than the first scenario.
Drain the Faucets in Helping the Burst Water Mains
The next thing to do is to drain all of the faucets.
Burst water mains would usually happen in the winter season. This is true when
the water freezes & expands inside the pipes. Once you finally have removed
the extra water from the plumbing system, that extra pressure is also greatly
relieved. This is true if the water will probably freeze.
Turn on the faucets for the cold water. Drain the
extra water coming from the pipes. Include the toilets, too. The toilets are
like the cold water shut-off valves that need to be trained. Now flush them for
several times also.
Turn Off the Hot Water Heater
The next thing to do is to tap the cold water faucets.
Continue with turning off the water heater. Drain the hot taps as well.
Let the Warm Air In to Circulate the Water Pipes
Allow the warm air from circulating frozen or cold
pipes. This will seem a helpful idea. Next is to turn up the thermostat. Open
up the cupboard doors housing the pipes. Direct the hairdryer on the frozen
pipe.
Clean Up the Mess
The main repair emergency of the water is already
& finally contained. The next best thing to do is to fly into a clean-up
mode. Stop for a moment and think about the damage to the burst water mains.
Document all of the water damage to the house as part
of insurance purposes. Include your possessions as well. Take photos of almost
everything. The documentation will serve as a historical record. This will give
a plumber an idea of your future plumbing issues.
Keep as always these tips mentioned in what you must
do when the water main bursts & also before the plumber arrives!
