Every winter, your pipes are at risk of bursting. Water is one of the few substances in the world that expands as it gets colder. When water freezes, it expands. In a light freeze, the pressure of your pipes can constrain the water.
However, if the water gets cold enough, such as on exceptionally cold nights, even metal cannot contain the pressure of expanding ice. That can cause a pipe to burst. When the weather warms up, you’ve got a pipe that does work as well as a pretty large leak. The simplest solution is pipes that are protected or water that is allowed to drip as flowing water is resistant to freezing. If you forgot to let your pipes drip, you need not worry.
What to Do
The first thing to do is call an affordable plumbing company in Bristol as soon as you realise your pipes have burst.
- If you know where your water shutoff valve is, it can be helpful to shut off water to that fixture.
- Depending on the fixture, you might need to shut off the water at the water main.
- If you don’t know where those are, definitely don’t use the fixture with the burst pipe.
Who to Call
You need to call a plumber who is affordable, but also one who explicitly does emergencies. An emergency plumber is available 24/7 and at very short notice. That’s important because the damage from a burst pipe can multiply very quickly, especially if the water is leaking into the house.
