How To Fix A Broken Water Pipe By Yourself

You could live in the warmest climate. You can have the mildest winters. However, your pipes could still break. Any number of things can cause a water pipe to break. Cold weather can cause your pipes to break. Forgetting to leave the faucet on during freezing temperatures can cause your pipes to break. In fact this is one of the most common reasons pipes break. After you finish panicking about the pipe breaking, you have two choices. You can call a plumber or you can attempt to fix it yourself. Now calling the plumber does seem like the most logical solution to this problem. However, if you call a plumber for an emergency situation, they will usually charge you an arm and a leg to repair your pipes.

You could save money if you learned how to repair your pipe yourself. Even if you temporarily fix the problem, you could buy yourself some time to set a proper appointment with a plumber so your call won’t be considered an emergency. If you fancy yourself the do it yourself type, then read the rest of this article for tips on how you can fix a broken water pipe by yourself.

Phase One: Clear The Area

Before you begin any repairs, make sure that you have moved all of your valuables away from where the pipe has burst. You don’t want any electronics, irreplaceable photos, or crafts someone is working on to get destroyed. Also move kids and pets out of harm’s way.

Phase Two: Gather Your Supplies

Before you tackle a project such as this, you have to make sure that you have the right tools for the job. Make sure to shut the water off before you start gathering your tools. In order to fix the pipe temporarily you will need to have the following tools on hand: a pipe cutter or hacksaw to cut the pipe, two universal hose clamps (make sure they are the kind that you tighten or loosen with a screw), and a 4 inch or 5 inch piece of rubber hose. Make sure the rubber hose has an inside diameter that matches the outside diameter of the pipe you are trying to repair.

Phase Three: Fix The Pipe

Once you have everyone safely out of the way, be sure to turn off the main water valve. After you have turned off the main water valve, you need to remove the old piece of pipe. Once you remove the old piece of pipe, clamp the rubber hose with the universal hose clamps at either ends of the remaining pipe.

Now this is most certainly not a permanent fix. However, it should buy you enough time to set a proper appointment with a plumber and not get charged the emergency fee. Even the smallest repairs can help you save money on your plumbing bill, if you can wait for the plumber to come out instead of it having to be a rush job. Remember to leave a faucet running to keep your pipes from breaking due to cold weather in the future.

Vaughan Wel, who has been in the HVAC industry for more than 34 years recommends you to visit Heating Santa Rosa for all your Heating and Cooling solutions.

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