4 Steps To Protect Your Home From Water Damage

8/10/2022 (Permalink)

Bursting pipes can cause severe water damage.

Bursting pipes have many causes, and this increases the difficulty of addressing the problem appropriately. It's one thing to fix broken pipe systems; it's another to make sure you don't have further water damage and, possibly, mold. If you want to avoid serious damage, you need to know exactly which steps you need to take as soon as a pipe bursts.

4 Steps You Need To Take For a Bursting Pipe

1. Shut Off the Water

You'll have to address a few questions at this point:

• Can you identify the point of the burst?
• Can you access the burst?
• Is there a quick way to shut water off at the point of trouble?

It's important that you stop water from gushing into your home as quickly as possible. Your best course of action may be shutting everything off at the water main. This may be located in the basement or on the outside of your home.

2. Open Windows and Doors To Increase Ventilation

You need to begin the drying process as quickly as possible. This will make it easier for water damage cleanup and restoration professionals to save your home from more damage. It will also keep your costs and frustration down.

3. Remove Water Quickly

It doesn’t take long for bursting pipes to send inches of water into the rooms of your home. Use towels, mops, wet/dry vacuums, and anything else that will pick up water. The faster you remove water from the area, the better you can avoid hidden pockets of moisture that cause trouble later on. Make sure you check the surrounding rooms for increased humidity or evidence of seeping water.

4. Turn on Fans and Dehumidifiers

Borrow fans and dehumidifiers from your Layton, UT, neighbors if you have to or get some from an equipment rental agency. Use fans in the rooms with open windows and use dehumidifiers in enclosed spaces. Remember to empty the water out of the dehumidifiers whenever the tanks fill up.

These important steps can protect you from expensive damage, and contacting professionals is the best way to avoid secondary damage, such as mold in areas that you can't see. When you have bursting pipes, take these four steps and then call your insurance agent and the water cleanup pros.