Something pretty bad happened at home last week. While I was cooking dinner, I noticed a small puddle of water forming under my sink. Within less than ten minutes, the entire kitchen was flooded. I have to be honest and admit that I started to panic. After the tradesman arrived and sorted the issue, he told me I did not react in the right way. With that in mind, I thought publishing a guide would help you all to make the right moves. It is often the way in which you deal with things that determine how serious these situations can become. So, make sure you follow the steps listed below.
- Turn the water off
If your pipes have burst, the first thing you need do is locate your stop tap. In most instances, it will be located under your sink. Turn the tap until it is fully closed to ensure no more water can escape into your home. Occasionally, the tradesman told me that doesn’t work. That is usually because the issue is located in the pipework below your tap. Even so, you need to switch it off as soon as possible to stop things from getting worse. It could cause structural damage to your property. That would end up costing thousands to rectify.
- Turn your electric off
The next thing you need to do involves cutting the power to your home. With so much water around, your family are at risk. Presuming your wirings are damp, it is possible for them to suffer a bad electrocution. You should always turn the power off until a trained professional tells you otherwise.
- Remove dangerous chemicals
The last thing you want to happen is for bleach and other items to contaminate the flood water. That could harm any pets in your home, and it could make your children ill. You should take all your cleaning products out of the cupboard and put them upstairs where it is dry. It also makes sense to place your possessions somewhere more suitable.
- Contact the professionals
Unless your husband has experience with plumbing, you’ll need to call a professional. That is especially the case if you live in a rented property. Your landlord will want to see the official documentation that proves the work was carried out by a licensed expert. There should be many home repairs specialists in your local area. You just might have to get their contact details using your smartphone. Your laptop and WiFi connection aren’t going to work without any power.
Once the professionals have fixed the pipes, you can start to clean up. It took me around six hours to get things back to normal. That is because the water damaged so much of our stuff. There are companies you can call if you need a hand. The people working for those firms are specially trained in ensuring no dangerous bacteria is left behind.
I hope you have gained something from learning about my experience. At the end of the day, I’m just venting. I can’t stand the idea of other people having to go through the experience. Do yourself a favor and check your pipes regularly for cracks. That is something my family will do from now on.
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