While not all pipe breaks are readily identifiable as being dangerous or damaging to your home, rest assured that any uncontrolled source of water that enters your home could be a potential source of money that you will lose to repairs or replacement. A pipe break is among the most common, and the most expensive, types of water damage that can occur within a home. Not all pipe breaks are the same, but you will need to deal with the following issues first and foremost:

• Is the pipe currently active, and if so, can it be shut off to stop the flow of water?
• Where was the pipe located? Is there electric wiring nearby?
• Has there been any flooding, including standing pools of water?
• Is the pipe located in a ceiling, where it can drip to the floor and cause additional damage?

As mentioned, a pipe break can happen in a lot of areas of the home. A pipe break in the basement could lead to flooding and standing pools of water which will require immediate attention. A pipe break in a bathroom or kitchen may not create standing pools of water if your room is at ground level, but could damage your flooring, create a slipping hazard, and promote the growth of dangerous mold.

Pipe breaks can also occur due to changes in the weather. If you live in an area which experiences freezing temperatures, understand that even sunny days during the winter will not necessarily thaw the ground. That means that your pipes could be in danger of a break well into the start of spring.

How Expensive Will it Be?

There’s no short and easy answer to this question, but be aware that the longer that it takes for you to address the problem, the more expensive it will become. A quick solution is to call a water removal expert to handle situations where you’ve got exceptional flooding on your hands. Even an inch of standing water in an area can lead to thousands of dollars in damage, especially if that area has carpeting. Even if the standing water is removed, it’s a smart idea to have a professional service handle the drying part of the procedure.

Mold generally takes a day to grow after an area has been flooded with water. Wood rot and other structural damage can also occur fairly quickly after a pipe has burst. The sooner that you both remove the water and dry the areas that have been effected, the more likely it will be that you will avoid paying a much higher bill for repairs to those structures.

Skilled water damage clean-up and restoration companies (like Regency DRT) know exactly what equipment and procedures are needed to quickly get you back to a safe and dry condition in the property.  Trained technicians will have electronic moisture meter tools and thermal imaging cameras to evaluate the amount of damage, and will discuss the options with you before beginning.