How do you know if a pipe burst under your house?
Is your carpet squishy?
Is your carpet wet?
Does water seem to be draining into the walls or under the floor?
You might have a burst pipe if you answered yes to any of these questions. A leaky pipe can cause significant damage to your house and belongings if you do not act fast. Here are some basic steps for getting rid of the water and making repairs:
Turn off all valves servicing pipes coming out of the areas that are wet, dry them thoroughly with towels, and move on to step two, called “Drying Out The Damage.”
1) The first thing you want to do is find the source of the leak. This will reduce potential problems by keeping mold from growing in damp areas.
2) If you have a lot of water on the floor, call a plumber immediately to locate the source of the leak. Suppose there is only a tiny puddle, and it’s not under your house (like your finished basement). In that case, attempts can be made at drying up the area yourself before contacting a plumber or calling out an emergency service company like Paul Davis Restoration Services to save you time and money.
3) Once you know where to look, start removing any furniture and other items from around these rooms and placing them somewhere else (in another room where they will not get damaged). Remove all things close enough to become wet if water starts flowing again; this includes electronics, books, plastic items, paper items, etc. If you have a lot of stuff on the floor that will likely be damaged if water starts flowing again, start removing these things before moving on to area rugs and furniture.
Electricity can flow through your wet floors just as quickly as it can through dry ones; turn off all breakers in your electrical box at this time. 4) Turn off the electricity to the affected areas. This is also an excellent time to cut power to overhead lights in the room(s), especially if they are close enough to get wet or are hazardous (such as halogen lamps).
5) Next, look for any objects that may become projectiles when water starts rushing again. This includes pictures, lamps, and other fragile items. Move these things to a safer place in the house or take them outside.
6) If you have an area rug, take it outside and hose it down well. Hang it up to dry (or put it in a dryer on the air-only setting). If the rug is too big to move, start blotting water out with towels as best as you can; do not scrub at the fibers as this will cause further damage.
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