What Homeowners Should Know About The Threat Of Pipes Bursting

When a home suffers serious plumbing problems, it can result in serious problems for those living in the house and the house's structural integrity. One of the more frequently encountered plumbing problems can be ruptured pipes. Despite being a fairly common issue, homeowners will frequently fail to understand the full scope of this problem or the steps that are needed to repair this damage.

What Are The Consequences Of A Pipe Bursting?

When one of the pipes in your home bursts, you may find that the most obvious warning signs of this problem will be a sudden decrease in water pressure, and you may notice sections of the walls, ceiling, or floors becoming wet. If the section of pipe that ruptured carried waste water, you may also notice that the house fills with foul odors from the wastewater leaking. Due to the sanitary and structural issues that this type of plumbing problem can cause, you should always act quickly whenever you notice these problems have started.

What Will Cause Your Pipes To Burst?

The threat of pipes bursting is something that many people will fail to fully appreciate until it has occurred to their homes. While there can be several different causes for pipes bursting, freezing temperatures will usually be one of the more common causes. As water turns to ice, its size will increase, and this can put too much pressure on the pipes.

While freezing temperatures are among the more common reasons for pipes to burst, there can be other situations that cause this problem. For example, pipes that are positioned so that they can rattle and move as water enters them may also be at a risk of rupturing. The movement of the pipe will cause it to gradually weaken until it bursts.

What Should You Do If Your Pipes Freeze?

If you turn on your faucets during the winter and water fails to come out, this could be a sign that the water in the pipes has frozen. In these situations, you will want to act quickly to reduce the risk of the frozen pipes rupturing. To this end, you should turn on the faucets on a slow drip so that the water from the ice can drain out of the pipes as it melts. Additionally, you may want to turn off the primary water main for the house until the pipes have thawed as this can reduce the internal pressure on the pipes.

For more information, contact local professionals like those found at Redeeming Restoration.