What Should You Do After a Pipe Bursts in Your Home?

8/17/2022 (Permalink)

Water loss due to a broken pipe in a West Jordan, UT facility.

Bursting pipes in West Jordan, UT, can severely threaten your home and belongings. The steps that you take immediately after a broken plumbing incident can be the difference between a relatively easy repair or a costly long-term restoration project.

What Steps Should You Take?

Once the source of the flooding has been secured and there is no longer any water actively entering the home, there may be little time before the damage to your home becomes more extensive. Take the following steps to safeguard your home from further harm:

• Immediately contact a qualified professional service that is equipped to handle water damage and fix a broken pipe.
• Thoroughly inspect your home for any hidden wet areas so that you may point out the extent of the damage to the restoration professionals and rule out any other leak sources.
• Check your drywall, carpets, floors, wallpaper and ceilings, as well as behind cabinets and inside closets, for evidence of water intrusion.

What Will a Professional Service Do?

Qualified professionals that specialize in the types of damage caused by bursting pipes should begin the water removal and restoration processes necessary to ensure that the initial primary damage does not result in any secondary damage. Primary damage is the immediate damage associated with materials in your home being wet or moist for a short period of time. Secondary damage is the direct result of primary damage not being managed properly. Secondary damage is much costlier to repair and much more difficult to detect. Examples of secondary damage include the following:

• Mold
• Crumbling drywall
• Warped, cracked and/or splintered wooden floors

Many incidents of secondary damage caused by bursting pipes can remain dormant inside of the walls and floors of a residence for months. By then, it could be too late to take any corrective actions.

The sooner a qualified specialist can begin correcting the problem after water damage is discovered, the less likely it is that your home will suffer any expensive long-term harm. Call a professional as soon as an incident occurs.