Burst Pipe Cleanup Guide For New London Homeowners

2/7/2020 (Permalink)

2 pipes burst in this attic, causing water to flood all the way to the basement. Ceilings, floors, and carpets were affected.

Coming home to a burst pipe is a disaster that no homeowner wants to deal with. How do you remove standing water? How do you dry up wet areas? Will the damages be covered by insurance? What should you do first? We can answer all your questions here.

What To Do When You Have a Pipe Burst:

1. Turn off the main water supply. It may seem obvious, but this will prevent your home from sustaining any more damage. If there’s electrical appliances near standing water, also shut off your power. Safety first!
2. Call your plumber. You’ll need to fix the broken pipe.
3. Move any wet furniture, carpets, and other belongings. You don’t want them to sit in standing water. If needed, SERVPRO of New London provides contents restoration to dirty or water damaged belongings.
4. Start to remove standing water as fast as possible. Grab towels, mops, or buckets to try and absorb water. If there’s a significant amount of standing water, you may need to consider buying a wet-dry shop vac to extract all water, or even call a professional water damage company to remove water for you.
5. Begin to dry out the damaged areas. Bring fans in the rooms affected and turn them on high. Set up dehumidifiers in the dampest areas to remove as much moisture as possible. If there was a considerable amount of water or it was wet for an extended amount of time, household fans and dehumidifiers may not be able to completely dry out the room.
6. If water has absorbed into the subfloor, drywall, carpets, it may be best to contact a professional water damage restoration company like SERVPRO of New London. Restoration companies use professional grade drying equipment and use moisture meters to detect moisture in areas that may seem dry at first glance. These tools ensure that your home has been properly and completely dried to prevent mold growth and structural deterioration.
7. If needed, restore and rebuild the water damaged area. You may need to install new floors, fix drywall, repaint, or sanitize affected areas.

Why Is It Important To Properly Dry Water Damaged Areas?

If you don’t correctly mitigate water damage, multiple problems may result. Check out our water damage timeline for more detailed information.

• Paint can bubble and blister.
• Wood flooring can swell, warp, or come up.
• Mold and mildew can grow and spread around your home in as little as 48 hours if moisture is not addressed.
• If water damage is left unmitigated and stays wet, it can cause serious structural safety issues in your home as well as drive up restoration and reconstruction costs.

Will Homeowner’s Insurance Cover Burst Pipes?

Luckily, burst pipes are usually covered by insurance as they’re a sudden and unforeseen loss!

You will have to show the damage in your home came from the burst pipe and that you weren’t responsible for the pipe bursting in the first place.

You may be thinking, “But, how could I be responsible for a burst pipe in my home?” If you neglected to repair clearly old or corroded pipes or did not turn heat on during the winter which froze the pipe and caused it to burst, you may be seen as responsible for the burst pipe. This is because there were steps that could have been taken to prevent the pipe from bursting.

If you’re unsure about your insurance coverage, SERVPRO of New London can help guide you through the insurance process. One of our first responders can come onsite, inspect damages, review your policy, and tell you whether or not it should be covered and the best way to file your claim to ensure it is not denied.

Have Questions or Need Help? Call SERVPRO of New London 800-734-3213

We are highly trained water removal and cleanup specialists and are ready to service your New London area home when flooding or water leaks cause water damage.

SERVPRO of New London provides:

• 24/7/365 Rapid emergency service
• Free Inspections
• Free estimates
• Direct insurance billing & guidance through insurance process.

Don’t Wait For Water Damage To Get Worse. Call 800-734-3213 to speak with our on-call technicians now!