A pipe burst; what to do after turning off the water and cleaning up the mess?

[hanwellmuir]

I am a complete and total idiot.

My husband, toddler and I split our time between a condo and an old house in two Northeastern cities. I stayed overnight in the house alone last week and when I left I turned the heat completely off. Which upon reflection is a completely moronic thing to do but I thought that's what my husband had said to do (in fact he had said "turn it down").

At any rate I am back here alone again and discovered a pipe burst in the second-floor bathroom, causing water to seep through the floor, down into the bedroom on the first floor, and into the basement.

I turned the water off, put buckets all around and have spent the last several hours trying to clean up the mess. The ceiling damage doesn't appear to be too bad but I guess appearances can be deceiving. My husband says we can't turn on the water now until it thaws outside, probably in the spring.

I feel so stupid (rightfully so) and I'm pretty sure my husband wants a divorce. All I can say is that I thought I was following his instructions and that I'm originally from the West coast where freezing pipes were never an issue.

What can I do to find out if other pipes are about to burst open and/or help the situation in any way????

Thanks.

[Matt]

You have done all you can.

(Except telling your husband to chill out, mistakes happen.)

Call your insurance co, and then call a plumber. He's dead wrong about having to wait till Spring.

(If what he said were true, half the people in your city would be without water right now. - Believe me, LOTS AND LOTS of people do what you did.)

[Matt]

Also, ask your hubby who he would be mad at if the power had gone out, instead of you doing what he asked you to do.

Tell him to quit bitching at you and to get his lazy ass over there to help you clean up the mess and watch the kid.

Don't feel so badly. It's really no big deal; a plumber will get you squared away in a few hours.

[Speedy Jim]

This can be a very difficult situation.

Let me tell you how we have handled a case like this in the past:

Locate a shut off valve that controls the pipe that burst. Close that. (Or repair the burst pipe.)

Drain all other piping (assumes that house has been warmed up again.) Connect an air compressor to the service main somewhere in order to pressurize all the piping in the house. Once pressurized, shut off compressor and watch pressure gauge to check for leaks. If there *are* still leaks, go around and listen for them to locate.

This procedure prevents more damage than if the water were simply turned back on to "see if there are any more leaks".

Jim

[hanwellmuir]

Thanks, Matt -

Why is he wrong about having to wait until spring? Couldn't other pipes be frozen and ready to burst now that the heat is back on and if that happened even greater damage might occur?

Also, I turned on the taps all over the house and not too much water came out of any of them. Is there any chance that could be because they haven't had much use in a while? (It's probably more likely that they're frozen, right?) What a mess!

[Matt]

Jim,

No disrespect, but are you serious? You think she has an air compressor laying around idle? Does the OP sound like a person who has the tools and exp. to repair burst piping?

HINT: (If she did, do you think she would be asking for help on what the first step is in a public newsgroup?)

[hanwellmuir]

My husband is the one taking care of our son in another city while I finish my degree. It's a 3-hour drive and the roads are icy so it's not safe for him to drive. And the heat isn't electric - we have the old radiators that fill with water.

[Matt]

Yes, other pipes *could* be frozen, but if you had to wait till spring to find em..... well, like I say, LOTS of people would be without water.

Keep the main water supply off, turn the heat on. This should thaw any remaining freezing, and will allow the plumber to locate them.

Other than that, I would say find the lowest valve in your house, and open it up, so that all the water in the system has a place to drain. Also, open a faucet somewhere else in the house, to provide a vent for the pipes. (Think of it like punching 2 holes in the top of a fruit juice can).

As far as not much water coming out of the faucets you have turned on, it's hard to say. The good news is that I would bet you have at most 1 to 4 "burst" spots that will actually need to be repaired. Once one of them freezes and bursts, there is a good chance that the pressure is relieved on the rest of the system.

Get the heat going, keep the water off, call the plumber! (And tell the husband to CHILL).

Best of luck, Matt

[Matt]

Ah - OK. Sorry.

But he has NO REASON to be mad at you. Shit happens.

[Sam O'Nella]

a. Lose the husband who is threatening divorce over this. No one needs an asshole like him in their lives.

b. Call your insurance company. They will help you out. This has happened countless times before.

c. Learn from it.

d. Don't forget A.

[hanwellmuir]

Sam, I've got to set you straight about Point A. My husband is the best guy you'll ever meet (how many other guys would work from home so they could take care of the baby while the wife goes to school?). I don't blame him for being upset since a) it was a stupid thing to do and b) he's the one who's ultimately going to have to deal with it.

[Matt]

I know you aren't asking me, but:

"how many other guys would work from home so they could take care of the baby while the wife goes to school?"

[Matt]

Dunno if that last post came out or not (Google). Anyway, what I meant to say was: He has a right to be upset: just not at you.

[William Brown]

Then the radiators are another thing to have checked for leaks.

Not to worry you, but you really should get a plumber; some of the pipes are no doubt with> My husband is the one taking care of our son in another city while I

[Joseph Meehan]

Don't feel bad, if you were a COMPLETE idiot you would not have come here for advice. :-)

As noted, the first stop is the insurance company and the second the plumber. Don't bother with and serous clean up until the plumber is done and you have talked with the insurance company.

I hope that the fact that your don't live there full time does not cause any insurance issues.

[Joseph Meehan]

Jim gave the right answer. After all after the insurance company is called and the plumber is there, he should have the capability to put some pressure on those pipes.

[hanwellmuir]

Thanks, Joseph. The problem is how to find a good plumber? My husband has not had great experiences with them in the past so he plans to come back and fix the problem himself as soon as we get about 5 days in a row of above zero temperatures.

[m Ransley]

Have the main turned off at the house or street till it thawes inside. Yes an air compressor is a good idea, the ins co will pay for it if you explain the option of a free water test- leaks. Tell your hubby to chill a power failure would do the same if not worse damage. It can be fixed now. But for the future why would anyone leave their water on when they leave??? Pipes break Without FREEZING , Your Hubby missed that one Small item!!, Sh:^ Happens....It aint your fault babe.

[Matt]

And, what are you to do in the meantime? No water for you I suppose?

[hanwellmuir]

I'm going back to Montreal tonight so it won't be a problem.