How to Deal With Common Home Disasters

Unfortunately, home disasters do occur from time to time – whether it’s a burst water pipe, a faulty furnace, or a house fire. When emergencies like this occur, you must know how to act to reduce harm to your property and health. To help you prepare, here are some common home disasters and how to deal with them. 

Burst Water Pipe 

Water pipes can burst for several reasons including frozen pipes, faults with your plumbing, or poor maintenance. When a pipe bursts, you must act quickly to minimize any water damage to your property. As soon as you notice a leak, turn your water supply off from the mains immediately to stop the water flow. The stop tap is usually located under the sink but it can sometimes be in a different location. Make sure your whole family is aware of the location of the stop tap in case there is an emergency with your plumbing. If the damage to the pipe is minor, then you may be able to repair it yourself using a home repair kit. However, you should never attempt a repair job unless you have the required skills or you risk causing further damage. For that reason, it’s best to hire a professional plumber to carry out any repairs. Once the pipe has been fixed, if there was major flooding, you must have your home properly dried or you risk mold and bacteria forming, which can be detrimental to your family’s health. 

Home Fire 

A fire in your home can be life-threatening and cause extensive damage to your property. If you notice smoke or a fire in your home, you must contact emergency services straight away and get your family safely outside. You should never try to re-enter your home in the event of a fire. Following a fire, you should contact your home insurance company to notify them and seek advice on how to claim for any property damage. You may also need to contact fire damage restoration companies like smoke damage cleaning specialists such as Service Restore. They will take the restoration of your property into their hands and take away some stress. 

Fortunately, there are several ways to minimize the chances of a fire starting in your home – here are three useful tips:

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1. Test your smoke detectors once a month and change the batteries once or twice a year.
2. Inspect and maintain all of your heating sources regularly. 
3. Never leave your kitchen unattended when cooking food.

Broken Furnace

A broken furnace can be extremely serious, especially if it happens during the winter months or the occupants of your home are elderly, pregnant, or suffering from a long-term illness. If your home insurance includes furnace cover, then contact your insurers so they can arrange for an engineer to come out to you. If you rent, then you should contact your landlord straight away so they can arrange the repairs for you. Alternatively, you can contact a furnace repair company. Most companies have emergency engineers on hand 24/7, so they should be able to get someone out to you quickly.