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5 Tips For Hot Water Heater Flood Cleanup
4/5/2021 (Permalink)
When a burst water heater floods your Connecticut home, take immediate action to prevent extensive water damage and mold growth.
When a water heater malfunctions or bursts, it can cause serious water damage to your Connecticut home. In some cases, your property may experience intense flooding from this appliance as the tank continues to fill up while water gushes out of it.
When a water heater floods your home, you can end up with flood damage affecting multiple floors, mold problems, or even a flooded basement. That’s why it’s so important to take immediate steps to prevent further water damage from the water heater.
Here, we will outline 5 steps to help with your water heater flood cleanup in your Connecticut home, ways to prevent flooding in the future, and whether or not damages are covered by your insurance.
What To Do When Your Hot Water Heater Bursts or Leaks
Immediately take the following steps when a burst hot water heater floods your home in New Haven County.
1. Stop the water.
To stop further flooding, you should immediately turn off the water supply line to the water heater when you realize it’s leaking. To turn off the water to the tank, locate the shut off valve on the pipe which connects your heater to your home’s main water line.
In some cases, this may not stop your water heater flood. Depending on what’s causing the leak, you may have to completely drain the tank and open the pressure relief valve to stop the flow of water. If there’s physical damage to the tank, drain it to right below the leak.
2. Turn off the power or gas.
To ensure the water heater doesn’t turn on or malfunction while you’re cleaning up, you’ll need to disconnect it from it’s power source. If you have an electric water heater, cut the power to it from the main circuit breaker in your home. If a gas powered heater, turn off the supply line to the heater.
If you’re not sure how to turn off the electric or gas in your home, don’t hesitate to call a professional to help.
3. Clean up standing water.
Once you’ve stopped additional flooding in your Connecticut home, you can begin to clean up. Depending on the extent of your leak, you may only need towels or a mop to clean up water, while other times you may need a wet-dry vacuum to remove larger amounts of water.
Once you’ve cleaned up all standing water, you should set up fans and dehumidifiers in all affected areas. This equipment should be left out running for at least 3 days to ensure that all wet materials and completely dried.
Properly cleaning up after water damage is extremely important to prevent the growth or mold or development of structural issues.
4. Call a plumber.
After you’ve cleaned up enough to contain the water damage from the water heater, you should call a local plumber in Connecticut to repair or replace the leaking appliance. Make this call as soon as possible to avoid having to take a cold shower the next morning.
5. Inspect your home for signs of water damage or mold growth.
Depending on where your hot water heater is located in your Connecticut home, you may not need to worry about further damages. For example, if your water heater floods an unfinished basement, the flood cleanup process is complete as soon as all the water on the floor dries up.
But, when your water heater floods your finished basement or is located on an upper level of your home, it can cause water damage to flooring, ceiling, walls, and leak all the way down to your basement. In this situation, you need to closely inspect the affected areas of your home for signs of moisture, water damage, or mold growth.
Signs of water damage and mold growth include:
- Sagging ceilings
- Bending or bowing floors
- Soft or squishy walls
- Discoloration on ceilings
- Musty odors
If you’re dealing with a water heater flood on the second level of your home, you should contact a local water damage restoration company like SERVPRO of Branford/Shoreline for a thorough inspection of any further damages that need to be addressed in your home.
Preventing Hot Water Heater Leaks
Since water heaters generally only last between 8 to 15 years, you can't always prevent them from leaking. When your water heater is older than 8 years, the best thing you can do to prevent it from causing flooding is replace it.
Still, there are steps you can take to lessen the chances of a burst water heater flood in your Connecticut home.
- Install a leak detector on the water heater that automatically turns it off when it senses a leak.
- Drain your water heater once a year to prevent sediment build up which can cause it to fail.
- Never ignore even the smallest amount of water leaking from the heater, as this is always a sign of a larger problem.
- Install a drain pan at the bottom of the tank that drains outside of your home in case it begins to leak.
- Know the signs that your water heater might break:
- Popping or rumbling noises
- Gas water heater causing a gas smell in your home
- Water leaks
- You hot water has flakes of rust or sediment in it
- The water heater tank is rusting
Does Insurance Cover Burst Water Heaters?
Most standard homeowner’s insurance policies will cover the cost of water damage restoration after a water heater bursts and floods your home in New Haven County. However, your insurance company will not cover the cost to replace your broken water heater or install a new one.
Burst Water Heater Flood Cleanup Services in New Haven County, CT
The flooding and water damage from a water heater isn't always something that homeowners in Connecticut can handle by themselves.
When your water heater causes a flooded basement or damages multiple floors of your home - you should contact the water damage restoration specialists at SERVPRO of Branford/Shoreline for immediate assistance.
24/7 Emergency Flood Cleanup and Water Removal
Advanced Drying & Dehumidification Methods
Free Inspection and Estimates
We Handle the Insurance Process For You
Whatever the size of your water heater disaster in Connecticut, SERVPRO of Branford/Shoreline is Here to Help 24 hours a day.