Especially common when the temperatures dip below freezing, a frozen pipe can cause significant damage to the plumbing inside your home.
While there are several steps you can take to prevent fronzen water pipes before the unthinkable happens, it’s important to know what to do when a pipe freezes and bursts. Before the damage gets worse, make sure you call the team of professionals at Total Restore Inc. to assess the situation and begin the repair process. We’re here to get your home and your life back to the way they were before the pipes burst.
Three Types of Water Damage:
It’s important to understand the differences between the three types of water damage categories. Each poses a different challenge and threat to the well-being of your home. Knowing how to respond correctly to each type can save you time and hassle.
Category One: Clean Water Damage
- The damage comes from clean, sanitary water sources. It’s still important to act fast before it degrades into category two damage.
- Sources include faucets, water lines, drinking fountains, toilet tanks, and shower heads. This is the category for most frozen or burst pipes.
Category Two: Grey Water Damage
- Damage from category two sources may contain contaminants which pose health risks if ingested. Take action soon after spotting the damage.
- Sources include washing machines, dishwasher, and toilets with liquid waste.
Category Three: Unsanitary/Black Water Damage
- These sources of water damage contain unsanitary materials that can cause serious health risks or even death if ingested. Contact professionals immediately.
- Sources include: Sewers, toilets with waste, rivers or streams, and stagnant water bodies with bacterial growth.
What to Do When Your Pipes Burst
There’s no worse feeling than walking into a room and seeing that the unthinkable has happened. A pipe has frozen and burst, leaving you with a major mess to deal with. If you find yourself in this situation, here are a few helpful tips to help you begin to prevent further damage.
- Turn Off Water Supply – A fact most homeowners may be unaware of is that the volume of frozen water expands by 9 percent. When water freezes, this expansion can occur with tremendous force and cause frozen water pipes to burst. The actual burst can occur where the water has frozen or further down the line where the pressure finds a weak spot in the pipe. Be sure to shut off the water supply immediately to prevent further flooding or damage.
- Shut Off Electricity – Depending on the location of the damage, it’s also a good idea to shut off the electrical supply. Always proceed with caution.
- Turn on a Faucet – Now that you’ve shut off the water supply, turning on a faucet can help relieve the remaining pressure in the lines.
- Remove Flood Water – After the flow of water has been stopped, it’s time to begin removing any excess water which has pooled or collected. Grab a bucket, mop, and other tools necessary to begin cleaning up. Taking care of this water is essential to preventing further damage and hazardous mold growth.
- Increase the Heat – If possible, direct space heaters or other safe heat sources towards cold rooms. If you still have reduced water flow, you can carefully apply heat from a hair dryer to pipes which are still frozen. As you add heat, the flow should return to normal.
After completing the above steps, it’s important to contact professionals at Total Restore Inc. Our team has the expertise to properly assess the situation and begin the cleanup process. Any time that we are faced with water flooding a home, time is of the essence. Damage costs related to water increases with each passing day, making it more dangerous and more expensive as less and less can be saved.
We use state-of-the-art repair tools and equipment to ensure the job is done correctly the first time. Depending on where the pipe burst, our team will trace the water and start mitigating the damage. For example, the burst pipe could be located in an attic where water has damaged two floors. In this scenario, we would begin to remove damaged drywall to start the cleanup process. The dry-out procedure starts with dehumidifiers to mitigate moisture, blowers to begin circulating fresh air, and an air scrubber with HEPA filter depending on the category of water and extent of demo work. To protect the safety of your family, the damaged areas, contents, and walking areas are always quarantined during the clean-up process. Our goal is to get your home back to the way it was before the damage occurred.