What NOT to do when a pipe bursts
San Diego residents have all probably encountered a major plumbing problem at one point or another. Whether you live in Vista, Pacific Beach, or Poway, your dwelling has inevitably faced a leaky sink, busted toilet, or clogged drain. These are all fairly easy to deal with either with some basic handy man skills, or with the help of a professional.
However, do you know how to handle a serious problem? The kind of problem where water is flooding your whole house? This is a little more rare and can catch people off guard, especially if it’s never happened to you. You may not intuitively know the best course of action.
Whatever happens, though, do NOT do any of the following things if a pipe bursts in your home.
Puncture the bubble
If a pipe succumbs to age or pressure, it may leak behind a wall, and steadily start shedding water into your house. It’s too late, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Other types of leaks send you a warning sign. If water has been building up over time, the ceiling or wall may start to bulge. Make no mistake – this isn’t just the sign of a house “settling.” You have a serious leak on your hands.
From Balboa Park to Carlsbad, every San Diegan may face this kind of plumbing problem at some point. Whatever you do, don’t puncture the bubble that’s formed on your wall unless you’re a trained professional. In an ideal scenario, you may be able to alleviate the pressure with a tiny hole, but if you’re not comfortable doing that, leave it alone and call an expert.
Procrastinate fixing it
Obviously, if your kitchen or bathroom is flooding, you probably won’t just wait until the whole problem just works itself out. But in the case of a less serious leak, you may be tempted to procrastinate fixing it. As long as it doesn’t seriously interfere with your daily life, it can wait, right?
Well, no. Part of San Diego’s charm is its laid back attitude. From Mission Beach to El Cajon, we value quality of life above all else. But when it comes to a leaking pipe, you should get ahead of the problem. If left untreated, it can cause serious water damage over time. What might’ve been a relatively simple fix by a pro plumber can explode into full wall repair.
Repair it yourself
It’s always tempting to try and do a repair yourself. Whether it touches on our primal instincts of self-preservation, or just seems like a good way to save a little money, the DIY approach is very appealing. But even if you’re confident around a plumbing job, you should never try to repair a burst pipe. Shutting off the water may be relatively simple (and is a good idea), but trying to open the wall and repair the leak yourself may create more trouble.
In the event of a burst pipe, the ideal solution is to call the best plumber San Diego has to offer. Boyd Rogers will arrive quickly and through minimal invasiveness, identify the location of the leak, and repair it for good.
