What To Do If Your Hot Water Pipe Bursts

Posted on: 7 April 2020

It's not unheard of for water pipes to leak, but more alarming is when they burst. A pipe bursting can send water flying everywhere, which can be particularly dangerous if it's spewing hot water. If this has happened to you and you're at a loss as to what to do, follow this quick guide to get the answers that you need.

Get Out!

First things first: Clear everyone out of the room that has the leak, and if there is one, shut the door. Put a towel or blanket under the door to prevent water from flowing out.

The reason for this is that hot water coming directly out of the pipe is extremely hot and could potentially cause severe burns. You don't want to get sprayed with it, and you don't want to be wading through it, either. So for now, ignore the room that's got the disaster zone going on and move on to the next step.

Water Shut-Off

You'll need to access your water shut-off for this step. If you don't know where it is, it's likely outside or in your basement if you have one. Turn the knob on the shut-off until you no longer hear water flowing through the pipe. This will stop the spray of hot water that's going on.

As an optional step, you can shut off the water in the room that has the problem itself. This will allow you to turn the general water shut-off back on, which will let you still use water in other rooms of the house.

To do this, though, let some time pass first. You want to let the water that's in the room cool down so that it's safe to walk through. 

Call for Help

If you haven't already, it's time to call a plumber for help. Burst pipes typically require a replacement of the entire length of pipe that's damaged, which is usually more than a homeowner can manage on their own. If this problem has occurred in the middle of the night or outside of standard business hours, rest easy knowing that you can call an emergency plumber for help. They're typically available 365 days a year and 24 hours a day and can come on short notice to fix problems like these.

Hot water is dangerous, so if all else fails, just close off the room and contact a plumber for help.

To learn more, contact a resource like Bay Plumbing and Heating.

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