Ways to Prevent Damages Due to A Burst Pipe
A frozen pipe is a common issue that most of the house owners face and every year millions of dollars are lost collectively due to the damages caused due to it. A burst pipe in your home is a serious issue and you should address it immediately before it can cause a lot of damage in your home that may or may not is repaired or replaceable. It all depends on how early you can detect the leak to call a professional on time to get it repaired.
Water from the busted pipe may even flood your basement destroying everything that is stored in there and in addition to that the ceilings, walls floor, and even the foundation might also be damaged. All these will leave you with extensive and expensive repair or replacement costs.
A flooded basement can cause different types of water damage that includes carpets, flooring, the electrical and wiring, furniture, and a host of other things stored. In addition to that, it can also cause serious health issues due to the growth of mold and mildew in this damp area.
Therefore, prevention is the best ‘cure’ for all these effects of a burst pipe. Make sure that you examine the exterior as well as interior pipes in your home as seasons change.
Prevention of Burst Pipes
There are a lot of ways in which you can minimize the devastating effects of a burst pipe in your home. The most significant of all is a regular inspection that must include:
Checking the stop-cock
Ensuring all outside taps, drain pipes, heating or overflow pipes are properly insulated
Checking all exposed joints and bends and covering them if these are not
Lagging piping in the unheated areas such as basements, lofts, and garages with high-quality pipe lagging
Ensuring that all exterior pipes leading to garages and sheds are buried deep in the ground and is properly lagged
Insulating the cold water tank
Ensuring that the heating is left on at least 12 degrees centigrade throughout the cold spells.
Fixing any dripping taps or existing leaks.
Having the central heating system serviced by a professional.
In addition to the above, you should keep the loft hatch open particularly during cold spells. This will enable the warm air circulation around it and keep the pipes in that area warm. This will eventually reduce the risk of a burst pipe.
Make sure that the stopcock and main water supply is turned off if you leave your home unoccupied for a long time.
Different Types of Damages
You can prevent different types of damages caused by a burst pipe to your home if you can prevent it in the first place. Structural damage is the most significant one if you delay repairing the pipe. However and very unfortunately, the damages caused by a burst pipe are much more than what is obvious. Some of the hidden effects are:
Insulation and wiring – Water damage can cause serious damage to insulation and wiring as its effectiveness will be lost if it is saturated by the leaking water. It will cause you irreparable damage to the cellulose, fiberglass along with the loose fill insulation. It may even cause a short circuit that may cause a fire breakout.
Structural damage – Leaking water will seep through the porous material in your walls and may appear in your living space. It means it has caused devastating damage to the building’s structure that includes the support beams, sub-floors, and steel brackets that hold the beams due to rust.
Most significantly burst pipe will cause health issues due to mold and mildew formation that is usually found in damp and wet places.
A burst pipe needs to be repaired as soon as possible because it can cause flood like situations so you need to shut off the water because no pipe can handle the high amount of pressure so you should shut off electricity also to save yourself from any a headache. If you can’t handle this situation then you should immediately call a plumber to tackle this issue.
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