Pipe break: 4 ways to minimize damage

What to do if there was a pipe break in the apartment? First of all, you should not panic, because of the speed and coherence of your actions depends on how much damage will be done to your apartment and neighbors from below. The instructions given in this material will tell you where to call - when the pipe burst and what to do to close the leak yourself.

Initial action

Most of the people, noticing the leakage of water supply or sewer network, grab not for rags and buckets, but for the phone. In principle, this is the right decision, especially when you know where to call - if a pipe burst.

After all, different organizations are responsible for different types of engineering networks. In addition, not all of them work during public holidays and weekends.

Consider the most common cases:

1. The breakthrough of the pipes of the central water run (riser) in the apartment. For the proper functioning of this part of the pipeline (the boundary is a stop valve - a crane installed in front of the water meter) is the responsibility of the housing maintenance organization. Its specialists should be notified first of all, because it will be important when deciding who is to blame - if a pipe burst and flooded the neighbors. When all actions have been done correctly, the damage will fall on the shoulders of the housing department.

Tip! To the plumber was as soon as possible, it is advisable to remind the duty officer that the owner of the apartment does not bear responsibility for the breakthrough of the riser.

There are cases when a leak repair specialist is not available at the workplace (for example, on weekends or holidays). Then you need to call the emergency service Gorvodokanal. Although they are not responsible for the pipes, their experts will help to quickly deal with leakage.

1. Breakthrough of heating pipes. Inspection and maintenance of this system is also the responsibility of the housing department, but only if you did not repair the pipes or replace radiators. They are also responsible for damages. Otherwise, the responsibility falls on the tenants. To avoid this, it is advisable after the end of the repair to contact the housing office and legalize the modernization there. Only in this case, the court can decide in your favor and force the housing office to pay damages.
2. Sewer system breakthrough. The owner of the apartment is personally responsible for these pipelines. Because what to do: if a pipe burst through - this question should be solved independently. Temporarily, you can fix the leak with your own hands or with the help of plumbers of the emergency service. However, this call may not be free.

Independent elimination of a leak

Method 1. Homemade yoke

If a small leak appears in the pipe, it can be sealed with a conventional hose clamp. But this useful device is not in every home. No need to despair. To build its counterpart can also be made from scrap materials.

You will need:

1. A small sheet of rubber (medical elastic bandage, a piece from a bicycle chamber, rubber gloves, and so on). You can use another material with similar properties.
2. Steel wire.
3. A strip of fabric.
4. Screwdriver, pliers, wrench.
5. Leaf tin.

The work is performed in the following sequence:

• a rubber band (sealant) is wound as tightly as possible to the leak;
• using pliers, the edges of the patch are fixed with steel wire;
• on top of the rubber need to tie a strip of fabric that tie into a knot;
• using a screwdriver or a wrench, tighten the cloth tightly (you must rotate the screwdriver as if you are stopping bleeding from a vein or artery).

Instead of cloth, you can use a sheet of tin. To do this, it is wrapped around a rubber patch and secured with a bolt and nut.

Tip! In order to avoid problems, it is recommended to have a set of clamps of different diameters at home that can be used when leakage is detected in pipes. Their price is low, and the benefits are enormous.

Method 2. Epoxy resin

This option will also allow quite a high quality seal the pipe. You will need an ordinary medical bandage and epoxy resin.

The essence of the work is as follows:

• components of epoxy should be mixed in the proportions indicated on the package;
• the place of breakthrough is wrapped with a medical bandage;
• then the material is thoroughly impregnated with epoxy over the entire length;
• the operation can be repeated several times to ensure maximum reliability.

Method 3. Cold welding

This substance works fine even on wet surfaces. It is necessary to squeeze out the right amount of paste and put it on a crack or a hole in the pipe.

Method 4. The elimination of a major breakthrough

It remains an open question what to do: a pipe burst through and a strong stream of water (sometimes hot) escapes from it?

In this case, the sequence of actions should be as follows:

1. Call the housing office or emergency service of Gorvodokanal, notify them of what is happening and call a specialist to eliminate the accident.
2. Before the plumbing, it is advisable to close the valve of the central water supply system or the heating system. As a rule, valves are located in the basement.

1. Wind as much as possible a thick layer of fabric on the hole. This will not eliminate the leakage, but it will greatly reduce the pressure of the escaping water.
2. You can make a patch of rubber. The sequence of actions described above.
3. All residents of the house should constantly bail out and soak up the water so that it does not get to the neighbors from the bottom.

Preventive actions

In order to prevent a sewage breakthrough, it is advisable from time to time to inspect the state of the water supply and sewage systems in your apartment. When problems are detected, there is no need to postpone their elimination until later, because an accident can cause much more damage.

Signs of an early hole or a crack in the pipe are:

• bloating or peeling paint - most likely, a corrosion center was formed under the covering layer, which over time can lead to a pipe breakthrough;
• the appearance of water droplets - this indicates that the tightness of the pipe is already broken, and if the problem is not resolved, the leakage can turn into a large-scale accident.

Repair of damaged plumbing

As soon as the leakage is fixed, the question arises of repairing or replacing a damaged pipe. To do this, you can ask for help from specialists from the same housing department or call a private plumber.

Statistics show that most people do not trust the qualifications of Zhekov workers. It is understandable. Their quality of work can rarely be met by anyone, and the cost of services sometimes exceeds the price requested by specialized private organizations.

A specialist from the housing department is extremely necessary only in one case - with the elimination of a breakthrough. After all, only he knows exactly where the water in the risers is blocked. Also, without it will not cost the drafting of the act of flooding. And in which case you can always complain to the office that sent it.

Calling a plumber from a private company has many advantages:

• quick response to a call;
• quality work;
• opportunity to ask for help at any time.

Among the shortcomings it should be noted the high cost of services and the absence of a higher organization, where you can complain. Although it is always possible to go to court, the main thing is to prove the fact of poor-quality service provision.

It should be noted that finding a good plumber is very difficult. Such a specialist is valued in the same way as a highly qualified and responsible treating physician.

The following tips will help you find a pipe specialist:

1. You can contact your friends who have recently completed repairs. Most likely, they have preserved telephones or other plumbing contact details, because construction works rarely do without replacing pipes in the bathroom and toilet.
2. Ask for help to your interlocutors in social networks. Often someone will be able to advise you a good specialist.
3. Search the internet. There should be careful, because the announcement of the provision of such services can make both professionals and amateurs. Specialized resources will help you choose the right person, allowing you to leave feedback on the work done. Do not neglect these recommendations.
4. If you decide to ask for help from the plumber from the housing department, it is better not to negotiate with him, but with his manager. In most cases, this will not only significantly reduce the cost of work, but also greatly increase its quality.

Tip! If you could not reach the plumber by phone, you can call him by appearing in the housing office. Only this should be done in the morning, until they all ran away to the objects.

And one more useful advice. If a plumber of their operating company requires you to pay for services to eliminate leakage, take a receipt from him. It can later be used to reduce the amount of rent or in the process of judicial review of a claim for damages.

Also, the transfer of money to the address of a private person providing pipe repair services is also to be documented.

Conclusion

A pipe burst is a very unpleasant phenomenon, however, by acting correctly and quickly, you can not only repair the leakage yourself, but also minimize the damage done. More details about this can be found in the video in this article.