How to avoid mold and burst pipe issues
The damage water does to a home can be extensive. This is why it’s very important to take good care of the pipes in your home. Unfortunately, no matter how much care we put into good quality pipes and fail-safe mechanisms, accidents can still happen. So, since water can be so devastating to your property, you’ll need to be prepared in case something bad happens and you need to avoid mold and burst pipe issues.
Safety first!
In addition to this, you’ll need to make sure you hire reliable electricians if your water damage got to your electronics. Electricity is very dangerous and you shouldn’t attempt any repair before the professionals arrive.
Sanitize immediately
In order to prevent the worst of the water damage, you’ll need to work fast and you’ll need to know what you’re doing. Here are some things you should do as soon as you can in order to avoid mold and burst pipe issues.
Stop the water
The first thing you’ll need to do to avoid mold and burst pipe issues is to stop the waterflow. There’ll be no use in cleaning up the water when more of it is going to show up. So, make this your priority. Figuring out which valve to shut down can be tricky though. If you can’t figure out how to do it, find plumber specialists near you to help you with your issue. Shut off the water source before you start removing the water.
Remove soaked items
After you’ve stopped the waterflow, you’ll need to remove all of the soaked belongings and dry what you can. If your things spent a lot of time soaked, you’ll need to put in more work to dry them off. In case some of your appliances got caught by the water, you’ll need to find an appliance repair specialist who can help you fix them. Don’t try to turn on your soaked electronic devices right away, though. Give them some time to dry off first.
Clean
This is usually the most neglected step when trying to avoid mold and burst pipe issues. Mold gathers with moisture and in unsanitary conditions. Even though your things will dry off, it will take time. You’ll need to clean them as they dry to prevent mold from forming. So, keep your items in a clean space and wash them after they’ve been flooded.
Dehumidify
If you find mold in your house, you’ll need to work very hard to get rid of it. One of the things you can do to avoid mold as a side effect of a burst pipe is to get a dehumidifier and take the moisture out of any room caught by the water from the burst pipe. This is especially important if moisture got into the walls. In these cases, you might need to leave the moisture sapping device on for a long time after there are any visible traces of water left. Walls can absorb a lot of water without showing it, so make sure you dry them thoroughly.
Clean (again)
After you call the professionals to handle problems caused by water in your house, you’ll need to dedicate some time to cleaning again. As we mentioned before, clean items do not grow mold, so make extra sure you clean them well.
Know when to give up
Unfortunately, in some cases, there won’t be any way to save your belongings. Sometimes, rugs, mattresses and wooden furniture are beyond anyone’s help. So, if your items get too damp, you replace them. Keeping a damp carpet in your room can ruin your floors!
Seasonal issues
Be especially careful in the winter, as the low temperatures can cause your pipes to burst. Even though this doesn’t cause any immediate issues like mold or flooding, you’ll still need to be ready in case it happens. These situations can cause a great deal of discomfort to anyone living in the house. You might run into extra problems with pipes in the winter.
Floors
When a burst pipe incident occurs, the poor floors are the ones that suffer the most. So, you’ll need to take extra care of them after any moisture related accident. Drying off your floor isn’t easy and you might be required to do additional work. If this is the case, make sure you hire professional help as you’ll want this problem solved as soon as possible. Floors are very important isolators in our home, and it can get drafty without them. Floors always take the worst of the damage. Make sure you treat them immediately and carefully!
Avoid it before it happens!
The best way to avoid mold and burst pipe issues altogether is to keep your things out of area which will get flooded. When pipes burst it usually happens in the basement. So, in order to avoid a lot of water damage, don’t keep books or photos in the basement. It’s much easier to find a new place for a few boxes than to find a restoration specialist to help you fix up your special items which were damaged in the flood.
However, what if you were too late and the damage had already happened? Or what if you’ve bought a property on a discount because of some water damage? How can you get rid of extensive water damage? Well, it’s very difficult. So, don’t try to buy a property if it’s been flooded.
If you take good care of your pipes, they’ll treat you well. IF you neglect them, though…
Finally, the best way to avoid mold damage and pipe burst issues is to never get in a situation where your pipes burst. Even though this can happen for many reasons, you can still put in a bit of work to avoid the most common causes. Hire a decent plumber to set up your pipes and treat them well. If you see any signs that your pipes might be at risk of bursting, notify your plumber immediately and have them checked out. This way, you can decrease the risk of suffering any water related damage in your home.
