How a Burst Pipe Actually Works (What Your Plumber Is Doing and Why)

When a pipe bursts, you rarely get any heads up or warning. One minute, you’re going on about your day and the next minute, your floor is filled with water or there’s water trickling down your wall. It all happens unexpectedly.

When this happens, for most people, what they know is the first response; turn off the main water valve, mop up the mess caused by the water and call a professional plumber to come access the situation and fix it. But have you ever stopped to ask what happens after you call the plumber? Or maybe even imagine what sort of magic the plumber performs to salvage the situation. More often than not, what is done from the moment the plumber arrives to when the repair is finally done is never understood. Understanding this helps you know whether what is being done is a quick patch work or an actual repair.

Before any repair can start, it is helpful to know why pipe burst occurs.

• Corrosion

In homes in Sydney corrosion is a big problem. The pipes get rusty inside. This rust keeps building up making the pipes smaller and smaller until the water pressure gets too high and the pipe breaks.

Usually before a pipe breaks there are signs that something is wrong, like the water pressure getting lower or leaks but people do not see these signs early until it is too late.

• Ground Movement

Another reason for pipes bursting is the movement of the ground. Some areas in Sydney have clay soil. When it rains this soil gets bigger because clay absorbs water and when it is dry it gets smaller. This movement in turn, puts a lot of stress on the pipes and can make them crack over time.

• Roots of Trees

The roots of trees can also cause problems because they can grow into the pipes and make them burst.

• Poor Plumbing Installation

Poor installation is another cause of burst pipes. If the pipes are not correctly installed, they can fail years later with the cause unknown.

The First Call: What a Plumbing Emergency Involve

When you call a plumber because of a pipe burst, you’ll be asked some questions which would help them to put things in perspective. They ask to know what part of the house is affected, if the water is currently still running and the place the water is coming from.

Having this information helps them know how to prepare for the job and what tools to bring along when coming to your house.

When the plumber arrives, the first thing done is to try and stop the water from flowing. If you’re yet to turn off the main water valve, they do that. But while this first step does not fix the problem, it stops the water from causing more damage.

Finding the Leak

Most times, where you notice the water isn’t where the leak fault is. Water travels along the pipes, across plasters and down inside the cavities before it surfaces elsewhere. Opening the part of the wall where water is visible then would not be effective and it would definitely cost more due to the cost of reconstructing. This is why plumbers utilize modern toolkits to identify the exact spot of the leak. Some of these toolkits are:

• Acoustic listening equipment: this is a fast and non-invasive approach to picking up the distinct hiss of leaking pipes. A trained ear with the right gear can hear it through walls, concrete slabs, and soil, and narrow it down to within centimetres.
• Thermal imaging: This is a highly effective approach in detecting any hot-water leakage. When hot water escapes from a pipe, it will visibly warm plasterboard or flooring from behind. It can even catch cold-line leaks, which show up as a cooler patch from evaporation.
• Pressure isolation: This is used for hidden water leaks. In this case, the plumber will isolate the target circuits, shut off sections of plumbing one at a time and test each in turn. Every test cuts the search area roughly in half.
• Moisture mapping traces the wet area back to its highest. That is, the most concentrated point of saturation. It’s usually the closest indicator of where the fault sits.

Once the leak has been found, the plumber starts to fix it. The part of the pipe that is damaged will be isolated so that work can be done on it without water flowing through it.

The Repair Itself

Highly qualified and professional plumbers will not patch up the damaged pipe because that is not the right thing to do. Instead, what will be done is to completely cut out the damaged part of the pipe and attach a new one, making sure it is connected properly so it does not leak again. Also, if you want to know what was wrong with the pipe, the plumber will show you so you can understand what happened to your pipes.

Sometimes the plumber may not replace the pipe with another one that has the same kind of materials. They may use a type of pipe that is better suited to the location. For example if the pipe is underground they may use a pipe that is designed to withstand the movement of the ground.

Testing After the Job is Done

Before the plumber finishes the job, the plumber tests the pipe to make sure it is working perfectly. You might ask how this is done. It’s pretty simple, water is passed into the pipe gradually to make sure there are no leaks. This step is important in preventing future problems.

Finishing Up and Documenting the Job

Once the repair is finished, the plumber will fix any damage that was done to the house. All the necessary patch ups needed to be done on the walls and floors will be fixed, ensuring everything is clean and tidy. More inspections will also be carried out to check for any moisture that may be hidden, as this can cause the growth of mould. Finally, you will be given a written report of what was done. This document would come in handy if you need to make an insurance claim.

Beyond the Fix: What a Good Plumber Tells You Afterwards

A good plumber will explain the work which was done and the reason behind every fix. But that’s not all, you will be told how to prevent further issues and what you can do to maintain your plumbing work for a long time. You will also be advised on ways to actually save water and reduce your water bill. When you choose a professional plumber, one thing you can be sure of is that your burst pipes will be fixed properly and you will not have reasons to worry about it happening again anytime soon.

Burst pipe repair can be a demanding process but a good plumber can make it easy for you. Everything is taken care of by then, from finding the leak to fixing the damage, and also make sure you are happy with the result.

So if you have a pipe to do, your best bet will be to call Sydney Premium Plumbers. We are a team of professionals and we make sure to fix the problem quickly and efficiently. We also make sure your house is safe and secure.

Burst pipes can be a problem but with the right plumber you can fix them easily.

When you have a pipe that bursts the plumber fixing it should talk to you about what happened and what it means for the rest of the plumbing system in your home. This is the part of a proper repair and it often gets skipped by people who are not very experienced. Two pipes that break for different reasons need different advice on what to do next and a good plumber will show you the evidence and explain it to you instead of just giving you a bill.

A Few Things Worth Knowing

When there is a burst pipe in your home, you do not always need to turn off the entire water supply in your home. In some situations, all you just need to do is to turn off the water supply that goes to the affected area, especially if your home has zone or section valves normally, and everything goes back to being normal.

If you have a pipe near a gas line you need to be very careful when you are digging or cutting because it can be dangerous. A licensed plumber will always check for this before they start working so they don’t risk working near a gas line.

It is also good to remember that a burst pipe is not the same as a blocked drain even though they can seem similar at first. If water pressure increases, you notice dirty water or there is a slow leak, it usually means there is a problem with the water supply. But if your sink is making a sound similar to gurgling, or is draining slowly, it means there is a problem further down the drain.

Conclusion

When a plumber fixes a pipe, a clear sequence should be followed:

• Turn off the water valve if you haven’t done so,
• Find the where the exact problem is coming from,
• Fix it with minimal disruption, fix the actual cause of the problem not just the symptoms,
• Test it thoroughly before they finish,
• And finally, give you the paperwork.

If they skip any of these steps it might save time now but it is safe to know that it will probably cost more later, whether that is because they have to reopen the wall and fix the pipe again or because you will not have the paperwork you need for an insurance claim.

Having knowledge of all that should happen at every stage of the repair process will put you in the position to judge the work that is being done in your home. This way, you know the difference between an actual repair and a quick patch.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How long does it take to fix a pipe?
   Fixing a burst pipe takes only a few hours most times, especially when the plumber finds the source of the problem on time. But if the pipe is not outside or if it is a more complicated job and it seems difficult to find the source of the leak, it can take a longer period especially if they have to dig.
2. Is fixing a leaking pipe always as urgent as fixing a burst pipe?
   Not always, but you should not ignore them. If you have a leak and you do not fix it, it can cause the same problems a burst pipe would cause, such as mould growth and damage to your home. It is just a matter of time before this happens.
3. Do I need to call a plumber to fix a burst pipe every time it happens?
   Yes you do. It is the law in some places and if you do not use a licensed plumber, it can be dangerous. This is because they might not fix the pipe properly and the burst will most definitely reoccur and worse still, it could happen behind a wall that has already been closed up.