A burst pipe floods a house fast, and every minute of water flowing is more damage to floors, walls and belongings. The good news is the first few steps are simple, and doing them quickly makes a real difference before we get there. Here is exactly what to do.
TL;DR
Turn the water off at the meter stop tap (usually at the front boundary), open a tap to drain the pressure, keep clear of any power near the water, and call. Doing those four things in the first minute saves the most damage.
Step by step, right now
- Turn off the water at the meter. Find your water meter, usually at the front boundary, and turn the stop tap clockwise until it stops. This cuts the supply to the whole house. If you have an isolation valve for just the affected area, you can use that instead, but the main meter tap always works.
- Drain the pressure. Open the cold taps at the lowest point in the house (an outside tap or the laundry) to let the water still in the pipes run out. This relieves pressure and slows the leak to a trickle.
- Keep clear of power. Do not touch power points, the meter box, light switches or appliances that are near the water, and do not stand in pooled water to reach a switch. If water is at or above any power fitting, or a ceiling is bulging, stay out of that room.
- Contain and protect. Mop, towel or bucket what you can, and move anything valuable up off the floor. Photos of the damage help with insurance later.
- Call us. Ring Donza Plumbing and we will get to you. Tell us where the burst is and what you have already turned off, and we will talk you through anything else while we are on the way.
Why finding the stop tap first matters
The single biggest factor in how bad a burst gets is how quickly the water goes off. If you have never found your meter stop tap, do it now, on a calm day, and make sure everyone in the house knows where it is. In an emergency you do not want to be hunting for it while water pours through the ceiling.
Preventing the next one
You cannot stop every burst, but most preventable ones share a cause:
- High mains pressure. Pressure above the recommended limit stresses pipes, joints and fittings. A pressure-limiting valve at the meter protects the whole house and is a cheap insurance.
- Ageing or corroded pipe. Old galvanised steel pipe corrodes from the inside and eventually fails. If yours is original and you are getting repeat leaks, it is worth a plan to replace it section by section.
- Patched-over leaks. A weeping joint or a pinhole that keeps coming back is telling you something. Get it looked at properly rather than patched again.
If you are dealing with a burst pipe now, get the water off at the meter first, then request a callback or call and Josh will talk you through it and book the repair in.