What to do in a plumbing emergency: Dealing with a burst pipe
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Burst pipes are often not terribly serious and proactively stopping the water supply can make the difference between an irritating clean up and severe structural damage. Here are some steps to take when you have a leaking pipe.
- Turn off the mains water supply - usually this will be in your front garden (if you live in a house) or in the maintenance room (if you live in an apartment). There may also be individual stop valves on the pipes, particularly in the bathroom attached to the toilet.
- If this doesn't stop the leak turn on all the cold taps and run all the existing water in the pipes out. Don't turn on the hot taps as some systems will try to heat non-existent water and can cause additional damage.
- If you have central heating or air-conditioning that has a water supply (often used to cool the mechanism) turn this off too.
- Get a quality plumber to come fix the leak.
- Usually, water will dry out with some pro-active clean up efforts but if you have damaged plaster or wood find a quality plasterer or carpenter after a few days. Sometimes your insurance company will also cover these types of issues so check with them before hiring someone to fix it!
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