Did A Pipe Cause Water Damage? Here’s What To Do Next 

Of all the water damage disasters that can happen within a home, a burst pipe is one of the worst. Within just a matter of minutes, a burst pipe can send hundreds of gallons of water flooding into your home. Thus, before you even know it, your home can sustain very severe damage. Fortunately, there are a few simple steps you can take to mitigate the water damage from a burst flood in your home. While these may not prevent all the damage from occurring, it is a key step in the right direction. Here are four of these tips from our water damage restoration experts at Restore Rite in Blackfoot.

Water Damage In Blackfoot

Shut Off Your Water Supply

After making sure you and everyone in your home is safe, the first thing you should do is shut off your water supply. If you have any reason to suspect that the water from the pipe has reached any of your electrical sockets or your fuse box you should shut off your electricity as well to be cautious. If you own your own home, you can usually find your main water shut-off valve somewhere in your home. Check your basement, crawl spaces, and areas close to the water heater. If it’s not inside, you can usually find it under a metal lid on your property close to the street.

Drain The Pipe

Once you have shut off your water supply, you will also need to drain the remaining water from your pipes. Doing this will reduce the chance of leftover water in your pipes from freezing and it releases any pent up pressure in your pipes. 

Remove The Floodwater

Another essential step of cleaning up after a burst pipe is removing the floodwater from the home as quickly as possible. The longer the floodwater remains in your home, the more likely to is to cause more severe, or even permanent, damage. If the floodwater ends up in your basement, the best way to remove the water quickly is with a sump pump. Sump pumps are capable of pumping large amounts of water out of a home in a relatively short time. If the flooding isn’t in your basement, however, you can use a wet vac to suck up the water and fans to speed up evaporation.

Document The Damage

Now that you’ve contained the emergency, start taking photos of the mishap and document any damage to your home and possessions. And don’t throw anything away just yet. You’ll want as much evidence as possible on your side when you contact your insurance company.

Don’t let your home be overtaken by a burst pipe! As you follow the steps above you will be able to minimize the damage to your home after even the most destructive burst pipe disasters. Finally, don’t hesitate to give us a call at Restore Rite in Blackfoot after such an event so we can help you pick up the pieces and get your life back to normal.