How to Deal with Burst Pipes

If you experience escape of water and need to deal with a burst pipe, acting quickly can help reduce the amount of damage inside your park home.

We discussed in our previous blog exactly what escape of water is how to prevent it and your obligations as a policyholder. However even when you do everything you can to try and prevent it, sometimes the worst can still happen.

What causes burst pipes?

The most common cause of pipes bursting is frozen water in the pipes. When water freezes inside a pipe it expands and can break pipes and joints. Water in the system when a pipe is blocked by freezing can also build up the pressure and lead to a burst pipe. This can happen some way away from the frozen section.

Old and corroded pipes can also, of course, lead to burst pipes and for this reason it is a good idea to have your plumbing checked regularly for signs of corrosion.

Finally, badly hung pipes or loose ones can move especially when taps are turned on and off. If this movement is violent (which it can be) pipes can come loose at their joints and may completely fail.

What do I do if a pipe bursts? 

Here are 10 tips that may help if you have a burst pipe in your park home: 

  1. Don’t Panic 

When a pipe bursts it can be under extreme pressure. It can be a very alarming and distressing event with water gushing into your living space. Knowing in advance the steps you need to take and the best order to take them in, may help keep a cool head in these circumstances.

Sometimes, for example, the first instinct is to go looking for the leak even while the water rushes in. In most cases this is a bad idea and will only add to the stress and difficulty of the situation. You may find that following the simple measures here, in order, will help to keep you calm in this type of crisis.

  1. Turn the water off 

You should have two stop taps in your property, one inside and one outside. The inside one is often under the sink or near the boiler if you have one. It is a good idea to locate these when you move into a property. If you have not done so already, you may want to do so now.

Having found the stop tap (also known as a stopcock), turn it off to shut off the water. As we mentioned in our previous blog, it’s a good idea to check your stop tap regularly to make sure it hasn’t seized up.

  1. Remove electrical appliances and turn off electricity if necessary 

If the water from a burst pipe is entering an area with electrical items or appliances, this may present a danger to you and to your property. It may be a good idea to turn off your electricity at the mains and remove any appliances in the affected area or from further away if you are afraid the water might still spread there. 

  1. Call a plumber 

Call an accredited professional to assist and to set things in motion so that they are on the way. For this reason, you may want to keep an up-to-date list of good local accredited professionals handy. You never know when you may need a plumber, electrician, gas engineer or repairman in a hurry. You may also want to consider our optional home emergency cover for park home owners. (See point 9). 

  1. Take photos 

With help now on the way and before the clean-up operation, this can be a good time to make a record of the damage that has been done. With a camera or your phone’s camera, take a few snaps of the affected areas. This may help with your insurance claim (if applicable) and may also capture something important that you haven’t noticed. Photos can also help when assessing the work of any professional that deals with the problem. 

  1. Open taps and drain the water 

Once the water is switched off open up your cold taps to drain the pipes of any remaining water. This prevents further freezing and any more leaks for the time being. To drain your hot water taps, first switch off any central heating you may have and then open up the hot taps. With the water drained, it is safe for a plumber to carry out repairs. 

  1. Clean up the water 

Having made a record of the damage caused, you can set about the clean-up process. Grab buckets, mops, towels and anything else that can help soak up the water and keep it from causing more damage.

  1. Dry the Affected area. 

If you have drained your taps and it is safe to turn the heating back, you will want to dry out the water in your home as soon as possible. You may want to think about using dehumidifiers, fan heaters or cold fans to assist this process. Again, be careful with electricity and water. Only deploy these measures if you are sure there is no chance of water getting into or dripping onto electric appliances.

  1. Think about home emergency cover for park home owners 

The home emergency policy is designed to provide you with 24 hour, 7 days a week, 365 days a year emergency call out assistance in your park home, if you suffer an emergency arising from an incident that is covered under the home emergency policy.  We will respond with expert help and send out a suitable contractor to you, to help you to resolve the emergency. The home emergency policy is designed to work alongside your household buildings and contents insurance and does not relate to the day-to-day maintenance of your park home and its contents. The full policy can be read here.

  1. Contact Your Insurer 

Contact your insurer as soon as is possible after an event like a burst pipe. If you need to make a claim, this will help us to get your claim under way as fast as possible. If you have any questions about the level of your cover and what it includes, please call us on:  01604 946 796

This is a marketing article from Park Home Assist, multi award-winning providers of residential park home insurance.  If you would like to speak to an advisor regarding insurance for your park home, please contact our friendly team in our Northampton office on 01604 946 796.

To stay up to date with similar topics like this, please like and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

For more information about any of our other insurance products, please choose your product of interest below:

Published – 04/03/2022