A burst pipe is bad news, as water emergency can cause serious damage to the main structure of your home and also your wiring. It’s vital to take action as soon as you discover a burst pipe.
Follow these directions to get things back to normal fast:
1). Turn off the main stopcock, you should find this under the kitchen sink or where the supply comes into your home.
2). Drain all the water away using all your cold taps and also by flushing your toilet.
3). Switch off the central heating, immersion heater and any other water heating systems. Once the water heating has shut down, turn on the hot taps to help drain the system.
4). If water is in the vicinity of your electrics or electrical appliances, switch off the mains immediately. If the mains switch is wet, don’t touch it or you could risk electrocution.
A professional service such as Barking Plumbers will give expert advice regarding all emergency situations.
5). If you notice the leak quickly you can catch dripping water in buckets. However, if water has been leaking through for some time and the ceilings are bulging, rooms may not be safe to enter. If the ceiling is bulging and you’re confident that there is no danger, punch a small hole in it with a screwdriver to let the water drain.
6). If you’re at all unsure about fixing a burst pipe by yourself, call in an expert like a Barking Plumber to repair the problem. Of course if you have the relevant insurance contact your provider as soon as possible.
You should be able to prevent future burst pipes by taking the following steps to stop your pipes from freezing again.
a). Insulate your loft
b). Insulate your water supply pipes
c). Keep your loft warm on chilly days by opening up the loft door
d). Shut off the water supply pipe to your house and drain the pipes if you go away for a few days
e). Stay on top of plumbing maintenance problems like dripping taps as these can freeze if the temperature drops