How to Handle a Burst Pipe and Minimize Damage

Steps to Take Ahead of Time

If you own property in an area that experiences cold weather, you need to be aware of seasonal maintenance tasks that will help you protect your property as the weather changes each year. One of the most important steps is to winterize your pipes to ensure they won't freeze or burst when the temperature drops. This includes action items like insulating any exposed pipes, detaching garden hoses and covering outdoor faucets. If the weather gets cold enough, you may even consider leaving a faucet dripping or opening cabinet doors during the coldest parts of the day.

No matter how prepared you might be, accidents and emergencies still happen. You'd be wise to set up a savings account specifically for your property so you have a "rainy day" fund set aside for unexpected expenses. All homes regardless of age, location or condition will inevitably need some form of emergency repair.

Steps to Take for Frozen Pipes

A frozen pipe will not necessarily burst, so if you can catch a frozen pipe early on, you could save yourself a major headache. When your area experiences frigid temperatures, be sure to check your plumbing and keep an eye out for warning signs like faucets only releasing small amounts of water or toilets not refilling when flushed. If you do run into one of these issues, you're likely dealing with a frozen pipe.

If this happens, your first step should be to cut off the water supply to that section of the plumbing. Expanding and freezing water can quickly cause damage. Even if the water supply is shut off, you will likely still deal with some leaking from the water that defrosts after the pipe has thawed. Be prepared with a mop, bucket and/or towels to quickly soak up any excess water.

In order to thaw a frozen pipe, you can use a space heater, infrared or incandescent heat lamp, or even a hairdryer to warm up the frozen area. Heat tape is also an option and should be used according to manufacturer instructions. Do not use any sort of open flame to thaw frozen pipes, as it poses a major fire hazard and can damage your pipes further.

Steps to Take for a Burst Pipe

Water damage claims are the second most common insurance claim in the U.S. When you're dealing with a frozen pipe, the water continues to expand as it freezes, which creates pressure that can cause a pipe to burst. When this happens, the crack or leak in the pipe allows water flow from the pipe to enter your home where it shouldn't. If a pipe does burst, you need to act quickly to mitigate property damage and repair cost.

• Your very first step should be to shut off your main water supply to minimize flooding typically the most expensive damage to address.

• Once you've shut off the water supply, make sure you identify the entire area that has been impacted by the leak. Remove as much water as possible as quickly as possible using a mop, sponges, towels or a shop vacuum or wet/dry vacuum.

• To prevent long-term damage due to moisture build-up, run a dehumidifier or fan in the affected area.

• Contact a licensed plumber to ensure the pipe is correctly repaired before running any water to that section of the home again.

Burst pipes and the associated water damage are something you absolutely want to avoid as a property owner. If you've had to learn your lesson the hard way, don't let yourself get caught in a similar situation during the next spell of cold weather. The best way to deal with frozen or burst pipes is to prevent them in the first place proactive winter maintenance will save you time, money and a whole lot of stress.

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BROKEN WATER PIPES: COST TO REPLACE & WAYS TO FIX A PIPE

CAUSES OF A BROKEN WATER PIPE

A water pipe can break for several reasons depending on the environment you live in, type of pipe, and circumstances.

The most common cause of broken pipes is freezing. If you live in a colder climate, this could happen. When water freezes it increases in volume by 9% and the pressure in the pipes can go from 40 psi to 40,000 psi. Clearly, this could be detrimental to the pipes. Water freezing causes quick expansion, which puts stress on the pipes and could lead them to crack or weaken. When water thaws, it will leak out the cracks. Other changes in water pressure can also cause breakage. Another common cause of broken water pipes is age.

Depending on the material, water pipes can last anywhere from 70-100 years. But the older they get, the more susceptible they are to weakening and corroding. Older pipes coming into contact with another material could speed up the corrosion process as well. PVC pipes can become brittle with age, while copper is prone to corrosion and stress over time. Something that could also potentially break water pipes is when they move. They may move from construction or the house settling. Moving can stress the fixed pipe which may lead to a leak or burst pipe.

HOW MUCH WATER COULD LEAK INTO YOUR HOUSE FROM A BROKEN PIPE?

The amount of water that leaks depend on how big the break in a pipe is. If it is just a minor crack, water will slowly leak out. This isn t as serious as a full broken pipe, but it can still cause significant damage to your home. Burst pipes can leak up to 10 gallons of water per minute. The amount of water leaked also depends on what appliance is involved. The water line to your refrigerator can leak to 1 gallon per minute depending on water pressure. One toilet supply line may leak 2-3 gallons a minute and a washing machine hose will leak up to 10-12 gallons per minute.

TURN THE WATER OFF

Doing this first is imperative; everything else can wait. You need to deactivate the water supply to stop the flow of water and prevent more water from leaking into your home. Shutting off the water could potentially save you thousands in water damage repairs. Locating the water shutoff valve depends on the climate you live in. For colder climates, the valves are usually inside, such as in the basement. For houses in milder weather, the shutoff valves will probably be outside either attached to an exterior wall or in an underground box with a removable lid.

OPEN A FAUCET

The next thing to do is to open a faucet or turn on a sink. This will relieve any remaining water pressure in the pipes and ensure a full-shut down.

GET RID OF THE WATER

The quicker you get rid of the water, the less water damage and mold there could be. Use a mop and a shop vacuum to help get clean up the water. Use towels to dry everything the best you can.

CUT AND REMOVE THE DAMAGED PIPE

Once you have shut off the water and drained the damaged water pipe, you can begin to fix the issue. Cut out the damaged section of the pipe with a pipe cutter, ensuring that you also cut one inch extra on each side of the damage. Once you get rid of the broken part of the pipe, you may begin repairs.

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Most Common Causes of Noisy Water Pipes

When you’re at home, you expect the pipes in your plumbing system to bring hot and cold water to all parts of your house at your beck and call. Whether you’re baking in the kitchen, relaxing in a hot bath, doing laundry in the washing machine, or simply need to flush the toilet, water supply and delivery is pivotal to daily life.

Unfortunately, these pipes aren’t perfect, and you may notice that some of them start to make noises over time. These seemingly random plumbing sounds might even scare you a little (you’re not alone!).

To make matters worse, loud noises coming from your piping can actually be an indicator of a bad plumbing problem or series of plumbing problems in your pipes. If left untreated, these clogging and drainage issues can become disastrous over time.

To get to the root of these noisy water pipes, let’s take a look at the common causes. While many causes exist, there are a few that crop up again and again in noisy pipes and plumbing systems that are worth being aware of.

So, without further ado, follow along below to find out once and for all what’s making that awful noise in your water pipes and what you can do right now to fix it.

Why Are My Water Pipes Shaking and Rattling?

While most piping lives behind the walls, floors, or ceilings of your home, some have to be hung with fasteners. If one of these slips, gets loose, or comes off completely, then the pipe can start moving or swaying as water runs through it.

Copper pipes in particular often expand as warm water travels across their metal surface, especially if the temperature on the hot water heater is too high.

Copper pipes carrying hot water can enlarge, but when they ultimately reduce in size again, this makes them scrape against a house’s joists, studs, or support brackets in the walls, resulting in loud noises.

If this happens, you’ll probably hear something that sounds like shaking or rattling going on in your walls. This is just the result of a slightly loose pipe, so it can be fixed rather easily, but it should be attended to quickly so the problem doesn’t get worse.

When you hear shaking and rattling in the ceiling or under the floorboards, don’t hesitate to call a trusted plumbing professional to take care of that noise before it gets unbearable.

Why Does My Plumbing Make a Humming Noise?

If the water pressure in your home gets too high for your house’s plumbing system capacity, your pipes can literally start to vibrate, much like a car traveling very fast down an open highway. If the water is running, you might start to hear a hum coming from your pipes.

While this might happen in a home of any type or size, if your home draws on well water, you’re at a higher risk for vibrating pipes. If this happens, do a quick check on your water tank, as you’ll usually want it set at no more than 55 PSI (pound-force per square inch).

In the event that you don’t have direct access to reading a water pressure meter on your tank, call a professional plumber to come and take a look. They can alter the system appropriately to get rid of that pesky hum.

Where Does That High-Pitched Whining Noise Come From?

Every house has a complete piping system of valves and other elements that depends on lots of tiny pieces and parts to enable the whole thing to work as it’s supposed to. Like any other piece of hardware, washers, nuts, and bolts (and much else) can become loose or wear out over time, resulting in a high-pitched whining noise.

This whistling sort of sound is most typically the simple product of a worn down piece of hardware near a dishwasher, washing machine, or dryer.

These specific areas are more susceptible to loose washers or other hardware because those appliances cause a significant amount of movement and can ultimately wear down nuts and bolts in that particular part of the piping.

If this happens to occur in your home, just have a plumber come in to tighten or replace the necessary hardware, and that should fix it up in no time.

How to Fix Loud Noises in Water Pipes

There are lots of causes for noisy water pipes, but the above list covers most of the common culprits. If you experience any of these sounds in your home, the best way to fix the issue quickly and painlessly is to get in touch with a trusted plumber or plumbing company.

At Kay Plumbing, we have years of experience helping families and homeowners get back to life after a difficult or pesky plumbing problem. If you live in Richland or Lexington County, look no further for a local plumbing team to get your pipes back on track.

If you need your drains cleaned or unclogged, we can have a trained, licensed, and insured plumber at your door, often in just a few hours.

Get in touch with us today so that you can stop living with unnecessary nuisance noises coming at all hours of the day and night. Let the good people at Kay Plumbing get you back to life as usual.

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