It’s that time of year again when cold winter weather can arrive at any time. With the cold winter nights and frigid wind chills the risk of frozen pipes in your home and business become a real possibility. We have 5 tips to help your reduce damage in your home or office if you have a frozen pipe burst.
#1: Turn off the Water
As soon as you realize you have a frozen pipe or a pipe breaks, turn off the water to the building. If you don’t know where the shut off is, now is a great time to locate it and make sure everyone knows where it is and how to turn off the water.
Once the water has been turned off, open the faucets in the building to help drain down the lines. This will limit how much water will run out of the pipe break.
#2: Protect or Relocate Belongings
Now that the water has been turned off, you will want to begin limiting damage to your belongings by either relocating furniture or by covering them with a tarp to keep water from dripping on to the furniture.
#3: Document the Damage
If the damage from the pipe break is extensive and you plan on making an insurance claim, document the damage caused by the pipe break for insurance purposes. Take pictures of the break in the pipe, where the water traveled to and any damaged furniture or belongings.
When you have the pipe repaired, ask the plumber to leave the broken piece. The insurance adjuster will most likely want to either document the break themselves or take the pipe with them to prove the source of the loss.
#4: Remove the water
Now it’s time to begin removing the water from your home or office. If the water is on a hard surface such as concrete or ceramic tile, you can use a shop vac to remove the water. If the water has reached carpeted areas, you may need to call AmeriClean to extract the water with our truck mount extraction systems.
#5: Dry the Affected Areas
If the water has affected more than just hard surfaces like concrete and tile, you will want to call for professional help drying the affected materials. Water damage restoration companies like AmeriClean will conduct a thorough moisture evaluation of the affected areas and develop a drying plan to get the structure dry and eliminate the chance of mold growth.
As part of the drying process, AmeriClean will extract water from highly absorbent materials such as carpet and pad, install commercial drying equipment that includes large dehumidifiers, air movers and wall drying equipment too make sure you home or office is dried properly.
We’ve Been Restoring Homes For Over 30 Years
Since 1986, AmeriClean has helped thousands of property owners in Northwest Indiana restore their buildings and belongings that have been affected by fire, water or mold. Our team is ready 24/7 to respond to your call for help and get your home or office back to normal faster! Give us a call at 219-641-3711 or send us a message today.
