Coming home to find that a pipe has burst in your home and is spilling water everywhere is one of the worse plumbing disasters imaginable. While this situation will ultimately require the help of a professional plumber from a company like Hilmans Plumbing, getting the help you need could take several hours. Thankfully, there is no need to simply wait for the plumber to arrive. In fact, by choosing to take action while you wait, you will be able to greatly minimize the amount of damage that is done to your home. Below you will learn more about what actions you should take in order to accomplish this task.

Shut Off The Water

Simply turning off the water at the closet shutoff valve, such as the one at the bottom of your sink or toilet, will not always be enough to prevent additional water damage to your home. This is because when a water pipe suffers a crack, it will often suffer multiple cracks along the length of the pipe, some of which may be hidden behind walls or in ceilings. In order to ensure that there really is no more water being supplied to the damaged pipe, it is important that you always turn the water off from the main supply valve.

Most main supply valves will be located either on the side of the house near the main water line or next to the water meter near the street. Taking the time to find this shutoff valve prior to an emergency can save you valuable time when it really counts the most.

Lower The Humidity Level In Your Home

Even after removing as much of the standing water as possible, the moisture levels in your home can be incredibly high. These high humidity levels can foster the growth of mold and mildew and may ultimately leave your home uninhabitable until after the water damage is repaired. In order to avoid this problem, you will need to start the process of lowering the humidity levels in your home as quickly as possible. By doing this, you will be helping to promote the evaporation of excess moisture before it can result in the growth of mold.

In order to quickly lower humidity levels, turn on your HVAC system, place dehumidifiers around the house, and turn on as many fans as you can to help keep the air moving. If the humidity levels outside are relatively low, opening a few windows can also help. However, you should always avoid opening the windows if the outside air is humid as this will only make the problem worse.