Raise your hand if you’ve been in this situation before: it’s the dead of the night, or the middle of the weekend, and a pipe starts to leak in your home—as in a major leak, with a ton of water pooling on the floor. You need to get a plumber over to your house, but it’s going to take a long time for one to get there. What should you do?
Fortunately, Smith’s Plumbing Services is available 24/7 for all your emergency service needs. Still, there are a few steps you should take to prevent the leak from getting worse, thereby mitigating any damage before your plumber arrives. Keep reading to learn how to properly patch a pipe leak, courtesy of our experienced plumbers at Smith’s Plumbing Services.
5 Steps to Take When a Pipe Springs a Leak
- Shut off the Water: In pretty much any plumbing emergency, the first thing you want to do is turn off the water. If you can’t find the valve that turns off your leaky pipe, go to your main shut-off valve. Once you have used the shut-off valve to prevent the leak from continuing, turn on a nearby sink, just to check that the flow of water is really stopped.
- Clean Up the Water: You’re not going to want to patch a leaky pipe without wiping it down first. Moreover, if you’re dealing with a burst pipe that left a lot of water on the floor, you should always clean up any pooling water, to prevent damage from occurring.
- Tighten the Joints: It’s possible that your pipe started leaking because of a loose joint. However, even if this isn’t what caused the leak to occur, it’s still a good idea to tighten the pipe joints, just to make sure more water doesn’t come dripping off.
- Scrape Any Rust Off the Pipe: Patching your pipe will be easier if you can smooth any rust and crags off. Plus, by looking for rust, you may be able to tell if the leak had been building for awhile.
- Patch the Pipe: Once you have completed the above steps, you are ready to patch up the leak in your pipe. This should ideally be done with an epoxy putty that can create a tight seal. However, if you do not have any epoxy lying around the house, simple duct tape should get the job done and hold until your plumber arrives.
To schedule re-piping and more with Smith’s Plumbing Services, dial (901) 290-1110, or contact us online.