Burst Pipe? Here’s How to Limit the Damage

Water is an essential part of daily life, so when building plumbing works, it is always one factor that needs careful construction. However, plumbing also has a certain lifespan and, at some point, will degrade and require maintenance and replacement. If the water pipe is only leaking or damaged for a short time, many measures can be taken to prevent the leak and replace the part. But what if the water pipe is burst, and the water pours down the surrounding area? Especially in the modern era, almost all constructions have built-in water pipes, so how to deal with burst pipes that are both effective and cost-effective?

Burst water pipes are a very common situation in households' daily life. This situation causes a lot of difficulties in everyday life. At the same time, it also creates a very significant economic loss for the people. To fix this situation quickly and thoroughly, let's look at the following article on how to handle burst pipes!

Causes of burst pipes

• Degradation

Water pipes that have been used for a long time will be degraded, rotten, oxidized, and rusted,... At this time, just a small impact can easily cause the pipe to crack broken.

• Careless construction, wrong technique

This is a common cause and has a high potential for pipeline damage. During the process of installation, design, and construction of pipelines, even a small technical error such as misplacement, unventilated water trap, or straight ventilation, .., can also lead to pipeline conditions that are prone to cracking.

• Poor-quality joint glue

Using poor-quality joint glue can only maintain the adhesion for a certain period. After only a short time, the glue at these joints will be affected by water and environmental factors and lose its adhesion, leading to leaking or bursting water pipes.

• The impact of external forces

Drilling, chiseling, and substantial impact on areas where the pipeline system goes through, such as walls, soil, and roof, ... will inadvertently affect water pipes and may cause them to be at risk of cracking or breaking, especially for plastic plumbing.

• The agent inside the pipe

During use, the waste, residue, hair, grease, etc., clinging to the pipe will create pressure on the pipe wall and, at the same time, prevent water flow. For a long time, this situation will cause the pipe to burst because it cannot withstand the increasing water pressure.

• Poor pipe quality

When buying a pipe to install a water system for your home, if you do not have a careful choice but choose to buy the wrong type of water pipe, it will very easily lead to damaged water pipes and easy to degrade after a while—short time.

• Overheated

Dirt and poor water quality when passing through the pipeline will cause deposition. If this situation continues continuously, it will cause more and more dirt to accumulate. This causes overheating and leads to cracks in the pipes.

Signs of a burst pipe

• If it is a wall water line, you will see wall seepage, mossy dampness, or dripping from the ceiling due to water accumulation.

• With floating water lines, once the water pipes burst, you will immediately notice when you observe the water splashes in your home.

• Another method to identify broken water lines is the water meter. If you don't use water and the watch still jumps, that's also a sign of concern.

How to deal with burst pipes for floating water lines?

Step 1: Locate the broken water pipe: you can identify it with the naked eye or use a leak locator.

Step 2: Lock the water line at the water meter.

Step 3: Depending on the condition of the crack that you repair:

3.1. Patching water pipes

If the tube has a small hole on one side, you can use a water stop sticker, a Japanese two-component glue. Or take a larger piece of pipe, cut it along, clean the surface of the pipe to be replaced, apply glue and squeeze the cut piece of pipe into the hole. Hold it for about 10 minutes and wait for it to dry for 30 minutes before you can use it again.

3.2. Changing the water pipe

For large cracks that require replacing water pipes, do the following:

• Depending on the type of replacement, there are different ways of connecting pipes. You can cut off the burst piece of pipe and use a connector to reconnect it.

• If it is a thread, we can twist the thread, connect the two pieces of pipe after the thread, and use a connector.

• In the case of a right angle. Whether it's a glued or threaded corner, we all cut it too. Replace with the same angle with two glued elbows connecting the two old pipes.

Step 4: Clean and use

After fixing the burst water pipe, reopen the water line and check for leaks. And check a series of household water lines for any burst pipes. Then inspection, please clean and dry the repair area and operate as usual.

What should be paid attention to when handling burst water pipes?

Here are some notes for applying the following burst water pipe treatment methods to achieve the highest efficiency and safety.

First, you must pay attention to the certainty and materials in the water pipe. Choose safe and healthy materials to ensure the health of your family. Prepare all the tools and follow the correct procedure. This will save you much time and effort during the repair process. Thoroughly research and identify problems before proceeding with methods of dealing with burst pipes to make the job go faster and most convenient.

If you have to rely on the help of outside services, pay attention and find the most reputable and quality service providers to ensure promptness and professionalism in the repair process and the quality of the water pipes after repair. Besides, due to the drilling technology's intervention, you must choose carefully to minimize the risks for your home.

Contact Local Rooter Corp.

If you would like a free quote on inspecting your plumbing system in San Jose and surrounding areas, our professional plumbers at Local Rooter are here to assist you. Call us at 408-641-9245 or contact us here