Water’s adaptable and intelligent. It takes form as a liquid, solid, or gas. While burst pipes are most expected in winter, being a homeowner means a pipe can burst at any time.

If you’re among the 62.4% of Texas homeowners, bursting pipes should always be on your radar.

Homes are their own unique system. They’re threaded with a pipe technology that circulates water inside and outside of it.

Everyone knows that mayhem-causing water pipe bursting movie scene. Don’t wait until your pipes burst to learn the hard way how to handle it.

Here’s what you need to know.

Burst Pipes

When water freezes, its volume grows by 9%, causing extreme pressure to the pipes. Frozen pipes happen most in wintertime, but they should be monitored all the time. Why?

Pipes bursting in houses signify an imbalance in the water circulation. If one pipe’s clogged, it impacts the whole system. Checking your pipes often combats winter explosions.

Pipes are most likely to burst in the following places:

  • Attics
  • Crawl spaces
  • Poorly insulated areas
  • Unheated rooms like garages
  • Basements

Locating which areas are susceptible to burst pipes makes it easier to keep an eye on them.

What to Do When a Pipe Bursts

While a healthy home comes from preventative care, some things can’t be prevented. If you’ve got a busted water pipe, here’s what to do.

1. Stay Calm

Nothing says home crisis like water pipe bursts. Training yourself to stay calm is what makes the following steps effective.

2. Turn the Water off

The only way to relieve a pipe’s pressure is to stop what’s pressurizing them. Knowing how to find and operate your water valve is crucial in this moment.

3. Turn up the Heat

The goal is to regulate the pipe temperature, so you’ll want to up the house temperature. Whether the burst pipe stemmed from the inside or outside cold, heat helps warm the water tunnels.

4. Open the Cabinets

Based on where you find the busted water pipe, open the cabinets that house them. Once the heat’s up and running, you’ll want to get it to the pipes ASAP.

5. Turn on the Indoor Faucet, Turn off the Outdoor Faucet

Turning on an indoor faucet helps eliminate remaining pressure. Turning off the outdoor faucets helps localize the temperature to the pipes inside.

Consider it a temperature regulation game. Burst pipes require these simple strategies to rebalance the whole system.

6. Call a Professional

Once your pipe’s calmed down, that’s your cue to call the experts. Not only can we repair or re-pipe the area of concern, but we’ll inspect the rest of the home for leaks to prevent future damage.

7. Do Damage Control

While the professionals are on their way, take mops and rags to reclaim your room sans water. Opening windows and adjusting your temperature can prevent further water damage and bacteria growth.

Peaceful Pipes

Planning for a burst pipe is as smart as having a fire escape plan. Instead of waiting for that moment to figure it out, there are better times to improvise. It’s best to be proactive.

Routine inspections make it easy to trust your pipes and live with ease. Pipe bursts don’t have to be inevitable, but for the moments when life happens, at least you’ll be prepared.

Call us today to keep yourself—and your pipes—at peace.