Dealing With a Plumbing Disaster: How to Get Back on Track When Water Wreaks Havoc in Your Home

A plumbing disaster can turn your home into a water-damaged nightmare in minutes. Whether it’s a burst pipe, overflowing sink, or major leak, taking immediate action can prevent thousands of dollars in repairs and keep your home safe.

Plumbing disasters can strike seemingly out of nowhere, and when they do, chaos ensues rapidly. They often catch people off guard due to the fact there are no obvious outward signs that there’s a problem: water pressure can build up over a period of months, and it only takes one small, weakened part of the plumbing to give way before you have water spraying out everywhere. 

Plumbing Disaster? How to Stop Water Damage & Recover Fast

Perhaps this is something you’ve dealt with in the past and want to prepare for in case it occurs again in the future, or maybe you’ve heard horror stories and want to secure the necessary knowledge to rectify the problem if it happens to you. Regardless of your reason for reading this article, today, you’ll learn how to solve a major water leak in the unfortunate event you have to tackle one!

Dealing With the Immediate Problem

Naturally, the most important step at the first sign of a major leak is to cut the water off at its source. If you’re unsure, familiarize yourself with where the shut-off valve is in your home – every home has one, but if you don’t know where yours is, you’ll find yourself running around in a panic while the situation worsens.

If it’s an extensive leak, it’s also a good idea to temporarily turn your electrics off at the same time. Water runs everywhere and quickly, so even if you don’t immediately see it, you may have liquid running over electrical wiring and breaker boxes. 

Having switched off the water and electrics, the next step is to locate plenty of towels and a mop and work to absorb as much of the water as possible. A wet and dry vacuum cleaner can also be an invaluable tool: these can help you immediately suck up water before it soaks into materials that it can damage. 

Once the problem has settled, contact a plumber who provides water leak detection services to properly investigate what’s gone wrong and how to fix it. 

Mitigating Further Damage

With the crisis averted and an experienced plumber on the way, you should start to do what you can to assess and remedy the areas that have been affected. Once you’ve absorbed most of the water, you can focus on drying out the area as best as possible; when there’s been a major leak, it’s very easy for mold to grow, so you want to avoid simply shifting from one problem to another. 

Keeping the windows open and turning on radiators should be your first port of call, and you can set up portable fans and a dehumidifier to speed up the drying process. It can also be beneficial to use mold spray, usually one containing bleach, on your surfaces, to remove any bacteria before it starts to multiply. If you’d rather avoid using harsh chemicals, there’s the option of opting for homemade mixtures applied with a spray bottle that include ingredients like white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and others (check out this article for more information on that front). 

When things start drying out, structural damage may begin to reveal itself, the most commonly affected areas being the walls where plaster starts to warp and wallpaper crinkles. Unfortunately, you may have to repair these parts, but more on that later. 

On Insurance

When a disaster happens in your home, you should always contact your insurance company. Water damage can be one of the most costly things to repair in all big home repair jobs, and usually, your policy will cover these issues. 

Taking a video can also be helpful if you can’t adequately represent the damage through pictures – use anything you can for evidence to strengthen your claim. 

Repairing the Damage

The next step is repairing the damage, the extent of which will be explained by your plumber. Major water leaks can prove particularly problematic because it’s often difficult to determine the source. For example, if the issue starts in the bathroom, you could have solid tiles, plywood, and floorboards to get through to locate the origin. It’s also possible that to avoid this, the plumber may need to investigate from the room below and enter through the ceiling. Of course, this means removing large sections of plasterboard. 

Unfortunately, there’s often no real way around creating a mess – you just have to hope that the source of the leak is found as quickly as possible. 

Once the main location has been identified, the question is what to do about it. Once again, this can lead to a major investigation and the replacement of several pipes, but it could also be as simple as tightening a valve (you’d be surprised at how sometimes, a big mess can have a very simple cause). 

The plumbing work required could be completed in a day or take a week or longer, but afterward, it’ll be up to you to either repair the remaining damage yourself or call in another tradesman to do it for you (depending on what your insurers say).

One of the most common jobs that needs to be performed after a leak is replastering. Ceilings – and increasingly, many walls – have a plasterboard base, and these boards get water damaged very easily: the gypsum core swells when moisture is introduced, meaning they almost always need to be replaced in these cases and then rerendered with a new skim before being painted. 

Solid plaster is more water resistant, so usually, you can get away with a remedial filling and skimming that you can do yourself. 

You also may be facing the replacement of floorboards or other types of flooring, both due to the water damage itself and the fact that materials may have had to be destroyed to locate the source of the leak. 

If you’re lucky, it may be that all you have to deal with is some minor discoloration on your walls or floors. If on the walls, you can simply paint over it once it’s dry (providing the coloring isn’t a sign of further damage, which your plumber will be able to inform you of). If you have wooden floors, the most likely minor damage that might occur would be discoloration due to the varnish being denatured by the water, and again, simply applying a thin coat of fresh varnish usually rectifies the problem. 

If you’re dealing with carpets that have gotten soaked following the leak, it’s important to lift them first before you dry them out or wash them with a wet and dry vacuum. You don’t want to risk any mold buildup beneath them – it’s common for people to notice that their carpets start going black weeks after a leak because mold is starting to proliferate. 

Preventing Leaks from Occurring in the First Place

The above represents quite the ordeal, so how do you prevent a situation like this from happening in the first place? 

There are a number of things you can do, but it all starts with proper maintenance. Most people only call a plumber when they have a problem, but it’s a good idea to schedule an inspection with a professional every six months to a year to check all your plumbing is in good working order. While this is something else to add to your yearly expenses, it’s worth it if it prevents one of the most costly repair jobs you might ever have to pay for!

Even if there’s nothing visibly wrong with your plumbing but the fittings are old, your plumber may recommend upgrading regardless to prevent an imminent issue. If nothing at all needs immediately replacing, they can insulate your pipes for you and offer professional advice on how to spot leaks and test for damage. 

You should also monitor your water bill for any strange fluctuations. If you see an unexpected increase in your water payments, a leak could be the culprit if there’s no other obvious reason. Having a smart meter can help here, as you can see exactly how much water you’re using on a daily basis – many even provide graphs depicting weekly averages, which makes it nice and easy to spot any glaring differences. 

Water Leak Emergency? Here’s What to Do When a Plumbing Disaster Strikes

Experiencing a major water leak can be a stressful situation for anyone, but managing that stress is all about understanding how to take the necessary actions to prevent the problem from escalating. Hopefully, you’re now clearer on how you can remedy a leak as best as possible if you ever have to face one.