There are a few plumbing events that may qualify as emergencies depending on their severity, and one of these is a burst pipe in your home. From potential water damage and flooding to risks of damage to various appliances or electronics, a burst plumbing pipe is a serious issue that requires immediate attention if it takes place.
At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’re proud to assist clients with a variety of emergency plumbing services, with unmatched response times for our 24-hour solutions. We’ll help you with instructions over the phone for mitigating the damage while our plumbers are on the way, then perform numerous detailed services to address and remedy any plumbing emergencies, including a burst pipe. This multi-part blog series will go over everything you need to know about burst pipes – we’ll start with the red flags or signs that a burst pipe might be present in your home, then move to how you should react and respond in any situation where this has happened.
Water Pressure Alterations
In many cases, one of the first signs that a pipe has burst in your plumbing system is significant changes to your water pressure in areas like the faucets and shower. You might also notice clogs cropping up in the sink or toilet, the result of reduced water pressure that isn’t powerful enough to push waste down the drain.
In cases where no water is coming from a faucet or shower, this isn’t likely a burst pipe – it’s more likely to be a frozen pipe issue, especially if it happens during the winter. But if pressure changes significantly while water still comes out, that’s a sign.
Standing Water
In other cases, you may notice drips, puddles or even entire pools of water in a given area, usually lower parts of the home like the basement or a crawl space. Sometimes the water will be closer to the actual leaking area, such as if you notice a sinkhole near some of your exposed pipes.
Water Marks or Discoloration
Most of your home’s pipes, however, run behind your walls where you can’t see them. If this pipe bursts and begins to spew water, it will often leave dampness or marks on the wall that signal the issue.
In other cases, water coming from your faucet or shower will simply look discolored. This is likely due to a supply pipe that’s burst, allowing rust in that turns water a brownish color.
Odors
Have you begun to notice foul odors from your pipe area? This could be due to a burst pipe that’s making it difficult for the plumbing network to drain sewer waste out from your home – not only is this a problem on its own, it will often lead to additional clog issues.
For more on signs you may have a burst pipe in your plumbing system or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.