The houses that grew up around the mills
Slater Mill, a historic textile mill in Pawtucket, is recognized for helping launch the Industrial Revolution in the United States. By the 1920s the city was a prosperous mill town with a substantial collection of homes and commercial buildings.
Triple-deckers spread through northern Rhode Island's industrial cities from the late 1800s on, and Pawtucket has many of them, alongside two-family houses, in neighborhoods like Darlington, Fairlawn, Oak Hill, and Woodlawn. In these buildings one basement often serves several apartments, and the plumbing runs straight up through every floor.
Indoor water damage in century-old houses
Plumbing in a building this old has usually been repaired many times, with a mix of materials. The weak spots are fairly predictable:
- Cast-iron drain stacks, in buildings that still have them, that crack or rust through
- Joints where newer copper or plastic lines were tied into older pipe
- Water lines running through unheated back hallways, which can ice up and crack in January
- Several water heaters sharing one basement, each one a possible leak
- Toilets and tubs on upper floors that overflow into the apartments beneath them
Mold in Pawtucket basements and bathrooms
Shared basements collect stored belongings from every unit, and old foundations stay cool and clammy through the summer. Mold takes hold on cardboard boxes, wooden shelves, and the bottoms of wall framing. Upstairs, bathrooms without exhaust fans are a frequent source of mold on ceilings and around windows.
If a leak has run through a wall between floors, open the closets and cabinets that share that wall. Mold often gets its start there, out of view.
First steps after a pipe bursts
- Close the main valve. Old gate valves can be stiff. Turn gently, and if it won't move, don't force it, since a broken valve can make things worse.
- Let the pipes empty. With the main closed, run a basement or first-floor tap until the flow stops.
- Check every unit below the break for dripping ceilings or water near light fixtures and outlets, and keep people away from them.
- Photograph the damage in each apartment and in the basement before anything is moved.
- Tenants should report the leak to the landlord or property manager, who arranges the repair.
Connecting with a provider
Calling the number on this page doesn't bring a crew from this website. RI Water & Mold is only a referral line. It links Pawtucket homeowners with participating independent providers, when one is available, and those providers handle the inspection, pricing, and work on their own. See how the process works.
About the cost
When a burst pipe soaks more than one apartment, there's more to dry and more to rebuild, and the price usually reflects that. For general national figures, start with the water damage restoration cost page. If the leak has led to mold, the mold remediation cost page explains what affects that price. Only the provider can price your building.
Pawtucket homeowner questions
A tenant told me water is coming through their ceiling. Who should call?
You should, as the owner. Tenants in multi-family houses should report leaks to their landlord or property manager. The owner decides on repairs and can call this line to be connected with a provider.
My building still has its original cast-iron drains. Can they cause water damage?
They can. Cast-iron drain pipes may crack or corrode over the decades and leak slowly into walls and ceilings. A plumber repairs the pipe itself; a restoration provider dries and repairs the building materials around it.
Pages for nearby cities
Pawtucket borders three other cities with their own guides: