Fixing busted pipes

11/16/2021 (Permalink)

As the cold weather is starting arrive in Manassas, you may experience bursting pipes. You may inspect your commercial property on a regular basis, but sometimes bursting pipes still occur. If you experience water damage, as the result of a damaged pipe, time is of the essence. You want to get it fixed quickly so that you can avoid as much damage as possible. Here is a timeline of how that may go.

Expert Location
As soon as you notice there is a problem, you may want to call water mitigation experts to fix the broken pipe. The representative who answers the phone will likely ask you a few questions to determine what kind of problem you have.

• Where is the pipe located?
• How big is the damaged area?
• How long has it been leaking?
• How fast is it leaking?
• Have you turned off the water and power to the area?

Make sure before you call know these answers or we can guide you through it. If you want to be extra prepared for the cold season, contact your Marketing Rep and have them conduct an ERP, that way you know 100% how to turn off your water at your commercial property.

Damage Assessment
Bursting pipes are as critical as they sound. Water is likely spewing in all directions, soaking everything in its path. Once the technicians arrive, they will assess the damage this has caused and be able to devise a plan.

Water Extraction
If your preliminary report over the phone was accurate, it will likely match the professional assessment pretty closely. This means the technicians can get right to the water extraction. They pump the water out to halt its potential to cause secondary damage.

Surface Drying
It's not enough to just remove the standing water. Everything has to be dried, or your building is likely to develop a mold problem. This is particularly probable if the leak has significantly raised the humidity of the area.

All of these things ideally happen within the first 24 hours. Mold can start to grow in as little as a day, so you are probably rushing the clock to get everything dry again. The sooner you call the problem with your bursting pipes in and get the repair process started, the better chance you have of avoiding secondary damage.

If you do experience a pipe bursting, call SERVPRO of Manassas