Emergency Plumbing Tips: What to Do When You Discover a Burst Pipe

No matter how careful we are as homeowners, burst pipes remain a fact of life in the wintertime so learning how to deal with them in advance makes good sense. If you know what to do when you discover a pipe that has burst in your home, you will be able to minimize the resulting damage and save yourself a heap of money.

As a Toronto plumbing firm that operates an emergency service across the GTA, we have dealt with more than our fair share of burst pipes and have put together this short guide in the hope that it may help people to cope with what can sometimes turn into a major calamity.

Emergency Plumbing in Toronto: What You Can Do about Burst Pipes

Whilst you will of course need to call an expert to fix the pipe or pipes in question, following the steps below should help to minimize any damage your home might sustain while you are waiting for help to arrive.

1. Turn off the Stop Valve – This is the very first thing you need to do, for obvious reasons. Once you have turned the main water stop valve off, the only water that can leak out of your burst pipe is whatever already happens to be in the system.
2. Turn off Your Furnace / Boiler – Turn off any appliances you use to heat your water as you do not want hot water escaping from your pipes and causing an injury to a member of your household. Also, with the main stop valve turned off, you do not want such appliances to attempt to heat an empty tank.
3. Open All Faucets in Your Home – The more water you can drain through your bath, sinks and basins, the less there will be to escape through the burst pipe. By opening all your faucets, you can minimize any water damage to your home and belongings.
4. Turn off Your Electricity – Turn off your main electrical switch to cut off power in your home. This is very important as it is a safety precaution that could save your life. In the event that escaping water should come into contact with live electrical appliances or sockets, you could receive a lethal shock.
5. Call a Plumber – Once you have taken the above precautions, it is time to get in touch with a firm or individual who specializes in emergency plumbing in Toronto. The sooner your burst pipe is repaired, the sooner you can clear up any excess water, repair any damage it has caused and get your life back to normal.

If you are unsure about any of the above steps, you may wish to call an expert in the first instance. Any professional who has experience of emergency plumbing in Toronto will be able to talk you through the necessary steps to take before they arrive on the scene. We will of course be more than happy to help, should you require our assistance with any plumbing emergency.