Bursting Pipes 101: Act Right Away and Call in Experts

8/31/2023 (Permalink)

Hire a professional team to clean after a flood to avoid water damage in your White Bear Lake, MN property.

After the initial rush of water from bursting pipes, you're left with soaking carpets, water-logged floors and walls, and a lot of situations that could cause lasting trouble for your White Bear Lake, MN, property. At this point, it is vital that you contact water damage cleaning professionals to mitigate ongoing damage.

The Destructive Nature of Water From Bursting Pipes

Water is both essential and problematic. You probably couldn't continue daily operations without a clean, steady supply of it. However, once that water bursts out of pipes and spreads throughout your buildings, a lot of destruction takes place and happens rapidly:

• Wet carpets and padding
• Stained furnishings
• Soaked fabrics
• Spread of contaminants

Unfortunately, this damage is just the beginning of the trouble you could face. Secondary damage happens after the bulk of the mess has been cleared away:

• Mold and mildew growth
• Wood rot and decay
• Corrosion of metal structures and wiring
• Weakened structures

Even a small area of trapped moisture can cause your drywall to rot or paint to peel. After a water emergency, your property must be completely cleaned and dried to prevent secondary damage.

Your Quick Response Matters

The action you take in the first few minutes of the bursting pipes has long-term effects on the welfare of your property. First, locate the source of the leak, so you can fix the broken pipe and shut off the water, either at the closest water shut-off valve or at the building's water main. At this point, it is also important to turn off the electricity to all exposed areas of the property. It only takes a little bit of water and electricity to pose an electrocution risk.

With these steps complete, gather as many hands as possible to soak up, mop, and remove water. Open doors and windows to allow for plenty of airflows and to let building humidity escape from buildings. If it is safe to use electricity, install powerful fans to dry the air and speed the rate of evaporation.

Remove water-logged furnishings to clean, sunny places outside or remove them to dry areas of your property. At this point, it is important to determine the role of professionals.

Professional Services Save Money

There are many factors that influence how well you can respond to water damage on your own. These include how fast you can remove water on your own, how susceptible your belongings are to water damage, and whether water is contaminated. Professionals generally have more people available to handle the work quickly. Valuable belongings, such as antiques, paperwork, carpeting and drapery, and appliances, require an expert response to prevent further damage. When you call in water damage cleanup and mitigation experts, you could save time, reduce the extent of the destruction, avoid cross-contamination, prevent mold growth, and steer clear of making mistakes, such as damaging electronics that haven't been appropriately cleaned and dried.

Prevent long-term secondary damage by the understanding of the destruction that bursting pipes can cause, the importance of your immediate response, and the expertise provided by professionals. The more you know, the better you can protect your property.