Flooded home? What to do first

Bathroom floods

From your bathtub or shower tray to your toilet, there are plenty of items that can cause a flood in your bathroom. Here’s what to do as soon as you notice a flood:

1. Identify where the leak is coming from before shutting off the water

Firstly, find the exact source of the flood. If it’s a single fixture, like a toilet overflowing, shut it off at the isolation valve. You can usually find the isolation valve directly under your toilet or bathroom sink. To shut off the mains water supply, you must know where your stop tap is - it’s typically found under your kitchen sink, under your cold water tank or even outside.

2. Shut off electricity

Next, go to your consumer unit (you may know it as your fuse box) and shut off the lighting and socket circuits. This power cut will prevent the risk of electrocution through your bathroom light or shaving socket. If you’re not sure where your consumer unit is look under your stairs or next or your front door, this is where they are typically live. 

*Important*, if you notice water around any live electrics, don’t touch it and call Places for People on 01772 667002 to book a repair.

3. Remove standing water

From mops to old towels and even newspaper – use any absorbent items to soak up the water and remove it down the drain or in a bucket. If you have severe flooding, you may need to call a water damage clean up service.

4. Save your possessions
Clear your bathroom cabinets and any other storage in contact with the wet floor. Check these areas for damage, and work out what kind of clean up they need.

Burst pipes

Whether it a DIY accident or extreme weather conditions, the pipes in your home can burst for a range of reasons, and if not dealt with quickly, can cause thousands of pounds in damages. Dealing with the root cause of your flood is a task best left to the professionals, but there are a few steps you can do before a plumber arrives to minimise damage and risks.

1. Shut off your water supply

If you experience a burst pipe, the first thing you need to do is turn off the water supply to your home at the mains. You can do this by shutting off your home’s stopcock, this can typically be found under your kitchen sink. Turning off the stopcock will prevent the flow of water into your house, preventing further damage while you find a solution to the problem.

If you find water is still flowing, drain the cold water in your system by flushing your toilet several times and running all your cold water taps until the water dries up.

If any electrical sockets are affected, turn off the main electrical supply immediately.

2. Contact your insurer

As you should know, if you’re a Places for People Customer, your home will be insured by us. However, insuring the contents of your home is your responsibility.

If you have contents insurance, now is the perfect time to take photos of the damage. Documenting the extent of the damage will allow you to make a detailed claim to present to your insurer.

3. Remove any standing water

Now that you’ve contacted your insurer, it’s time to start the cleaning up process.  Just like with a bathroom flood, use mops, old towels and even newspaper to soak up the excessive water and remove it from your home by buckets or down your drain.  

4. Contact us to make a repair request

Once you’ve cleared the excessive water, it’s time to contact a plumbing professional. If you’re a Places for People Customer, you can request by filling out a repair form on our website or call our friendly advisers on 01772 667002.

5. Document the damage

Now that the professionals have been notified, it’s time to check exactly what you need to do to make a claim. This could include sending photos and keeping receipts to replace items.

6. Clean up

Getting your home back to normal after a burst pipe can take time, but there are a few things you can do to speed up the process:

Cleaning and drying out – some cleaning is usually needed after a pipe burst, and the affected areas could take between four and eight weeks to dry out completely. To speed this process up, give walls, floors, and furniture enough space for air to circulate around them.

Strip it out – remove any furniture and fixtures which may have been damaged in the flood. Damaged plaster may also need to be removed.

Repairs – it may be some time before your home has dried enough for you to start cosmetic repairs. Walls need to be fully dried before they can be replastered and redecorated, and professional drying and restoration specialists may be needed to restore your home.

7. Preventative measures

Expanding frozen water is by far the most common cause of a burst pipe, so it’s important to keep your pipes insulated.

If you're going away and the temperature  is likely to drop below freezing, keep your home’s heating at a minimum of 15°C (59F) for a few hours each day.

It’s also a great idea to drain your system of water if you’re going away for a long period over the winter months, this will ensure that your home stays flood free.

Leaving your loft hatch open to allow warmer air to reach the loft can be enough to prevent the temperature from getting critically low.