A burst pipe can cause serious amounts of damage within minutes, therefore acting swiftly and knowing what to do before the arrival of a plumber can make all the difference.

Turn Off the Stopcock Straight Away

The main stopcock (or isolation valve) is usually found under the kitchen sink but can be found in a downstairs cupboard (like under the stairs) or even near the front door of a property. Turning the main stopcock clockwise until it stops will turn off the water supply to the whole property, which will immediately start to slow down the flow of water.

Switch Off the Electricity

You are in danger of serious injury from water and live electricity. The loss of power for a few hours is a small price to pay for the safety of you and your family. Switch off the power to the affected area at the main consumer unit.

Open the Cold Taps

Finally open up the cold tap in the kitchen and also in the bathroom to empty as much water as possible from the pipes. Remember the pipe has burst due to the excess water that it has been unable to drain, therefore opening the cold tap will relieve pressure off the pipe and it will also mean that less water will leak from the burst part of the pipe.

Contain the Water and Take Photos

Now distribute towels and place buckets around to limit the amount of damage caused by the spreading water. Also move furniture to a safe distance from the area where the water is escaping. Take as many photos as possible before attempting to clean up.

Know When to Call a Plumber

A temporary patch using items such as tape may be required for a pinhole leak that has been exposed. If however the leak continues to pour out, is behind a wall or you cannot find the source of the leak then it is time to call in a qualified plumber. Emergency Plumber Cheltenham is covered in more detail at https://www.hprservicesltd.com/emergency-plumber-cheltenham/.

If you haven’t already, by now you will know that acting fast within the first minutes after discovering the damage, can limit the subsequent and consequential damage, and therefore, do run through all these steps, in order.