A broken water main can be the result of many things. In some cases, your water main can break simply because it is old. In other cases, you might have it break because water entered in there and froze the pipes. Regardless of the reasons, here are some tips to follow from your broken water mains Alexandria, VA professionals if this disaster ever happens to you.
Protect the Kids and Pets
Depending on where your water main comes into your home, it could pose a very serious danger to your kids and pets if it breaks. If, for instance, the water main is located near one of the bedrooms and it suddenly burst, the room could start filling up with water. Your first priority is to make sure your children and your pets are somewhere safe if your water main does break. Choose higher ground for them by sending them upstairs or sending them outside. There’s too much of a chance that they could fall and hit their head in the water so keeping them far away from the gushing water is necessary.
Shut Off the Water
Once everybody is safe, your broken water mains Alexandria, VA experts suggest that you turn off the valve to the pipe. The shutoff valve is going to depend on where the pipe is broken. If the toilet is leaking, you can simply shut off the valve to the toilet. However, if the main pipe is busted, you will need to find the main shutoff to the house. This is usually outside near the curb, but it can be located somewhere else if you have a newer home. Some shutoff valves are located where the plumbing enters the water heater. You should familiarize yourself with the location of the shutoff valve before an emergency like this happens.
Pick up the Non-Replaceable Items
If another adult is in the home with you at the time of the water main break, they should be picking up the non-replaceable items while you are turning off the valve. Even if you have insurance, there are some things that you won’t be able to replace, including pictures, yearbooks and other memories. Put those things on top of something tall to keep them away from the water.
Call a Professional
Before you can begin cleaning up or doing anything else, you should call a professional plumber. They can fix the water main and tell you if there are any more potential problems with your plumbing system in the near future. If so, get those potential problems fixed right away instead of waiting for another emergency.
Broken water mains Alexandria VA – Business Name offers 24 hour emergency services for all of your immediate plumbing needs. If you have a water main break at any time of the day or night, they have someone on call who can help.
