Pro Blocked Drains is a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year, emergency drainage company providing services for blocked drains. We have a network of local drainage experts covering the UK who can help you with your drain blockage problem.
There is nothing more distressing than opening the front door to your home and finding the house has flooded. The first hint you get is a foul, damp smell that is creeping along the hallway. You rush to check if the toilet is blocked.
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That’s happened once before when you had kids over and an unwanted Barbie doll got stuck in the U-bend. The toilet’s intact, but the smell is getting worse and you can hear the faint sound of gushing water.
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Where’s it coming from? You check every room but can’t find out where the water pipe burst in the house. Every cupboard under every sink is still intact.
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Nothing. And yet the sound of water is getting louder. You need to find the stopcock. In most houses, this is under the kitchen sink which is easy to find, but it takes a while to clear out the cupboard to reach it.
Time is ticking away and the burst water main is still flowing. With that water now stopped, you can take your time to find the source of the leak and try to repair it.
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Living in Farnborough, your luck is in as just around the corner from your home, is a firm of local professionals who will find the source of the problem, and quickly and easily resolve the burst water main issue, saving you the distress of all that mess.
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But you may decide you want to attempt the repair yourself first. In this article, we will discuss how you can check a leak in the water main and when you should contact Pro Blocked Drains professionals.
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So let’s get started.
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Having a water pipe burst in the house is usually preventable if you understand the main causes and how to avoid them.
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Living in the UK, we’re used to changeable weather and accept we can have snow and ice through Winter and Springtime too. When temperatures reach below freezing, water freezes and expand.
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This includes any water lying in un-insulated pipes. As the water expands, pressure is created inside the pipe and it will crack the joints and burst. To avoid this situation, you should take precautions by:
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High water pressure can also burst pipes. Typically, it occurs due to the water utility company needing to increase the pressure to ensure water reaches every home, factory, or office building.
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In Farnborough, this isn’t a known problem. Rather, improper adjustment of pressure valves will be the likely cause of a burst water pipe in this area. To prevent this problem from occurring, you need to adjust the pressure at your house to a safe limit.
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Some houses have a pressure-reducing valve near the main stopcock, which is usually located outside. If you don’t have one, you can use a water pressure gauge which is easily attached to the pipework under the sink (as close to the main water supply as possible) and will show you the pressure your water is flowing at. It should be between 40 – 45 psi and if it’s over 60 psi, then there is likely a problem.
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Pressure can also build up if pipes become clogged. If you are unable to unblock them, you may need to replace the affected pipes.
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Mains water pipes are buried underground, but surface activity can damage them, especially where the protective soil above has eroded or the pipes have been laid at a shallow depth as they rise into the house.
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Construction equipment, heavy traffic, and digging around the pipes can lead to damage so care should always be taken to locate the path of the mains water pipe before doing any building work on the property and its grounds to lessen any chances of problems occurring.
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If you have a burst water main in your house, contact ProBlocked Drains immediately, or if you want to fix it yourself, try using the following tips:
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When you have a leaky pipe, the first thing to do is to turn off the mains water valve. These valves are usually located with the water tank through which the whole house gets its water supply. By turning off this valve, you stop the water flow from the tank and the leak will stop, too. This makes it easier to repair the damaged pipes without getting wet.
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Unless you can see the water gushing from the burst water main, you may have some difficulty locating the source of the problem. Signs that you have a water pipe burst in the house may be damp patches on the drywall; wet staining at the joints between the panels; water dripping from the ceiling or pooling at the skirting. This will give you an approximation of where the problem is, but you must remember water can travel along a joist so the stain may occur some distance away from the origin.
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After turning off the water source, the next step is to repair the damaged pipe. To do so use a pipe repair clamp. You can easily get one from a D.I.Y. store. To apply the pipe repair clamp, make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
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You can also make a pipe repair clamp at home if you do not have a sleeve clamp. All you have to do is to wrap the burst section of the water pipe with a strip of rubber. Then clamp this rubber wrap with an adjustable pipe-sleeve clamp, hose clamp, or C-Clamp, whichever you have available at the time.
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As a temporary repair, you can apply epoxy putty if the leak is near a joint. Afterward, get help from a professional plumber if you are unable to replace the damaged section yourself.
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The best way to repair a burst water main and be confident it will work is to call in Pro Blocked Drains professionals in Farnborough. They will make an assessment and give you a no-commitment quotation to repair the damaged water pipes.
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As highly experienced professionals, they have all the tools to locate the source of the problem and the expertise to fix it straight away. By contacting them, you can save money, time, and effort, and prevent further damage to your home and belongings.
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With a local office in Farnborough, this reputable and reliable company offers fast call-out and 24/7 support and guarantees you a job well done, excellent customer service, high quality of work, and peace of mind.
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Having burst water main is never a pleasant experience, but with help from professionals, you can resolve your water leak quickly and prevent damage to your property. Whether you have a leak now or simply want to guard against any future problems, Pro Blocked Drains offers you:
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Contact us today, at 0800 611 82 99 to book a preventative maintenance survey of your drainage system or keep our number somewhere safe and ready for the day you need our help. Learn more about Alton’s Toilet Unblocking And Clearing Services.