Go Back

Ashburn, VA

62°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

62°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Video

Podcasts

Winter Center

Top Stories AccuWeather Early AccuWeather Prime Astronomy Climate Travel Health Recreation Business Sports

News / AccuWeather Ready

Time is of the essence when frozen pipes burst

By Bianca Barr Tunno, AccuWeather staff writer

Copied

Partner Content

SERVPRO

Live Coverage For all things weather, 24 hours a day.

Pipe freezing in the winter can burst and cost a fortune. Find out how you can prevent that from happening.

“During frigid weather, burst pipes are one of the most common causes of property damage,” said Thomas Heneghan, senior manager of community preparedness education for the American Red Cross. “Water expands as it freezes, which puts pressure on pipes and can cause metal and other types of pipes to break.”

When temperatures plunge below freezing and a pipe bursts in your home, the first thing to do is shut off the water source. Then, contact the professionals to help and begin moving fast with the cleanup.

The best way to avoid frozen pipes is to help prevent the water inside them from being vulnerable to freezing in the first place, Heneghan told AccuWeather in an email.

He says plumbers can conduct inspections and make recommendations for problem areas such as pipes in drafty areas.

First steps

But if it does happen, the first thing to do is turn off the water valve to your house, according to Jonathan Wilson, deputy director of the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH). If you don’t know how to find the valve or shut it off, call a plumber or neighbor to help. You may also need to cut the electricity, depending on the severity of the situation.

(iStock / Getty Images)

“Sometimes you don’t realize it at first,” Wilson said. “You may be accumulating a bunch of water for a while but as soon as you recognize it, you need to turn off the water to that area and do what you can to make sure any water in the pipe is going into buckets and not into your space.”

This is the time to contact your insurance company and any professional services you may need, such as a water damage and restoration specialist like SERVPRO. Also, homeowners should assess their own home repair skills, Wilson told AccuWeather.

Flooring and walls

Once a professional has determined how much water has soaked into your home, Wilson suggests drying out flooded areas with fans and dehumidifiers -- something that SERVPRO professionals specialize in doing.

Wall-to-wall carpeting and composite flooring may have more problems with mold than hardwood floors, he said. And drywall may need to be removed from the bottom up if it’s not dried out before mold sets in.

Also, if you know your home has asbestos or lead-based paint, dry those areas as quickly as possible and clean with gloves, masks and a HEPA vacuum, Wilson said.

Related:

Top hacks to deice your vehicle during winter’s icy grip
How to survive a power outage in winter
Follow these tips to heat your home safely this winter

Furniture, housewares and appliances

According to the NCHH’s Field Guide for Flooded Home Cleanup, some common household items that can typically be saved include:

  • Non-porous items like china, glass, metal, jewelry, and porcelain

  • Wood furniture without upholstery

  • Some electronics and appliances that do not have fans and were not damaged by water

Furniture with a fabric covering or cushions may need to be discarded if you can see or smell mold. But if it's critical to save a badly-damaged piece of furniture or another beloved item, contact restoration specialists who can use advanced technology to restore these types of items. And get rid of electronics and appliances with fans that were in moldy rooms.

Textiles and paper

Wilson says paper, clothing and other textiles are sometimes too damaged to salvage and the techniques to preserve these materials can take time and money. However, there are innovative methods that can be used to restore documents and other sensitive items.

Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather Forecasts

Sweltering, record-shattering heat wave roasts Puerto Rico

Jun. 10, 2023
Severe Weather

Forecasters tracking new threat of severe weather

Jun. 10, 2023
Climate

El Nino is officially underway. Here’s what that means for the weather

Jun. 9, 2023
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

Top Stories

AccuWeather Early

AccuWeather Prime

Astronomy

Climate

Travel

Health

Recreation

Business

Sports

Top Stories

Weather Forecasts

When will Canadian wildfire smoke return to the Northeast?

2 hours ago

Hurricane

Tropical Atlantic dormant, but may stir again soon

4 hours ago

Weather Forecasts

Needed rain on the way for Midwest, Northeast

2 hours ago

Weather News

2-year-old dies after being left in hot car in Florida

15 hours ago

Severe Weather

Siberia swelters in record temps amid ‘worst heat wave in history’

23 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Topic

Your Local Asthma Forecast

Featured Stories

Live Blog

AccuWeather’s Hurricane Week: An inside look at these destructive forc...

LATEST ENTRY

Katharine Hepburn was nearly killed in a surprise hurricane in 1938

1 day ago

Business

Top Father’s Day gifts for weather-enthusiasts

17 hours ago

Hurricane

Reed Timmer recounts his top 5 most memorable hurricane interceptions

2 days ago

AccuWeather AccuWeather Ready Time is of the essence when frozen pipes burst
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2023 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Do Not Sell My Data checkmark Confirmed Not Selling Your Data

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

I Understand

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

FEEDBACK