5 Steps to Take After A Frozen Pipe Bursts in Your Home

12/8/2022 (Permalink)

A frozen pipe bursting in your home is an unfortunate event and can cause a lot of damage.

When your pipes burst, it's not the end of the world. But it can be scary and definitely something you should not try to fix on your own. If you're experiencing a burst pipe in your home or business, here are five steps to take after the pipe has been fixed:

Step 1: Shut off the water.

The first thing you should do when your pipe bursts is shut off the water supply to the affected area. This can be done by shutting off your main water valve or turning off any faucets within range of the burst pipe to stop it from leaking. If you are unable to turn off either of these items, call a professional immediately.

Step 2: Assess the situation.

The second thing you want to do is assess the damage.

• Find the source of your leak. In many cases, this may simply be a loose connection or cracked pipe that can be easily fixed with basic tools and supplies from your local hardware store. If it’s something more serious, though—like a broken valve or other internal system damage—you might need professional help for repair work.
• Check for any water damage that resulted from the burst pipe. This could include rugs and carpets soaked through; wood floors warped or buckled by excess moisture; paint blistered off walls due to frost formation; cabinets drenched in cold water from leaky pipes (if so, you might have some drywall repairs on your hands); hardwood floors stained by rust deposits left over from old metal pipes.
• Check for mold or mildew growth along walls where there were leaks near plumbing fixtures such as sinks or toilets; also look around corners where dampness tends accumulate most often after heavy rainstorms or snow melts. These areas may require additional cleaning before they can safely be occupied again. 

Step 3: Call SERVPRO of Hyde Park/Central Austin.

Call a professional restoration company like SERVPRO of Hyde Park/Central Austin. You’ll want to call someone who has the experience and resources to help you deal with the extensive damage your home has suffered. A restoration company will be able to help with:

• Emergency Response
• Structural Drying
• Contents Cleaning and Decontamination

Step 4: Stop the spread.

Once the pipe has burst, stop the water from spreading. Use a wet/dry vacuum to remove excess water and towels or rags to soak up more of it. It's important to keep your pets and children away from the area while you're doing this—after all, they probably won't understand what happened and might think it's fun to play in your clean-up efforts!

Step 5: Wait for the professionals to arrive and restore.

Patience is a virtue. You will probably have to wait for your restoration company to arrive on the scene, wait for them to complete their work, and then wait yet again while they bill you. Your insurance company might take its time paying out (or maybe not) and making sure that there’s no fraud involved before they do so.

The rest of the repair process can be pretty straightforward: After your pipes are fixed, your insurance company should send an inspector out who will verify that all repairs were made correctly and up to code; if everything checks out okay, then you can relax knowing that there won't be any more issues with frozen pipes in your home!

As the temperatures begin to drop, it's important to take extra precautions to protect your pipes. Frozen pipes can burst, causing extensive water damage and a huge mess for you and your family. If you do experience a pipe bursting, SERVPRO of Hyde Park / Central Austin can help. We offer emergency services 24/7 so that we can be there when you need us most.

A frozen pipe bursting in your Hyde Park, TX home is an unfortunate event and can cause a lot of damage. The most important thing to do after the pipe bursts is to turn off the water. Then you will need to find out where all the water is going and how much damage has been done. Once that is complete you can call a company who specializes in frozen pipes burst repair to come out and fix things up!