Emergency Pipe Repair
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What to do if a water pipe bursts.The first thing to do is to go and turn off the water! This is why it is particularly useful to know where the stop valve is :-). If for some reason you cannot switch off the water there are a number of things that you can do to reduce the flow. Remember - you don't need to repair the leak - you just need to stem the flood! Your course of action is dependant on the type of pipe you are dealing with. If the burst pipe is in your house and you cannot switch it off you should immediately open all the taps in the house. This will effectively drop the pressure and reduce the flow from the leaking pipe. Copper pipe in the house. The easiest to deal with if you can see it. Clamp it with a vice grip, G-Clamp or pliers. Cut it and bend the end like a toothpaste tube. If there is a hole in it put a screw into the hole. Useful if you have drilled a hole into a bathroom pipe by accident. Take the drill bit out, turn it around and plug the hole. Call a plumber to fix it permanently! Steel pipe - outside or in. Bind it with something. The best "stuff" is inner tube from a tyre. Tightly wrap something around the rupture. You can even use twisted black garbage bags at a push. If its a hole - screw a self tapping screw into it. If you have drilled it reverse the bit and bind it in. I have made many temporary repairs with inner tube and "jubilee hose clamps". Fence wire also works. Plastic pipe - bind it as you would the steel pipe. In an extreme case you could cut it and bend it in half. Tie it in place with wire. Large bore (25mm +) mains pipe. Things start getting tricky as the pipe gets bigger. Domestic pipes are generally 13 - 22mm. Bigger than this often means a big increase in pressure and the sheer volume of water that comes out of a 50mm or 75mm pipe is quite amazing! You can try and bind the pipe but its a lot harder to do. In these cases it's best to call a plumber although the local council may be more appropriate.
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