Every home is going to face a plumbing emergency or two over the lifetimes. It’s good to have an idea what you should do to protect your home and ultimately, your bank balance when the time comes.
The first thing you need to know is unless you really know what you’re doing, you can do more harm than good. Your best bet is to contact professional plumbers as soon as possible. And having regular services is going to be a massive help. The best form of defense is prevention. But having said that, what do you do in an emergency?
Almost every person and every home will have a plumbing emergency at one point or another. Learning how to handle a plumbing emergency will give you control to protect your home and get a repair service there much faster. Residential plumbing services are your best defense against home damage, and they can manage just about any situation that happens. Don’t get in over your head! Seek the right help immediately.
Shut off the water. The first you want to do when faced with a plumbing emergency, if it’s water related, is to turn off the water valve to the home. And be smart about it.
Turn off the boiler. If the issue is with your boiler then look to turn it off immediately too. It’s a good idea to turn off the gas too, then you can call the emergency plumber. At least to get some advice on whether it’s safe to have the gas turned on.
Dealing with small leaks. If it’s not an ‘emergency’ for example, you have a leak then you should look to locate the leak, then stop it dripping onto a surface that could result in water damage. Keep some plumbers tape nearby. With some old rags or towels stop the leak temporarily until the plumbers arrive.
One the most important things you can do is call the plumber as soon as possible and give them as much accurate information as you can over the phone.
Plumbing Emergency Examples
Here are some examples of what can happen in the house that would qualify as an emergency. Identifying the problem means you can give the plumber on the phone, the information they need to understand what they’re coming to.
Extremely Hot Water
If water is coming out of the showerhead or taps, it’s very likely that the problem is boiler related and that’s something your plumber would appreciate knowing. If your boiler is overheating, it’s potentially dangerous, you should definitely turn it off until help arrives.
Frozen Pipes
Up in Gateshead, we are not immune to a sharp spell of weather. We are often called out to deal with frozen pipes. The biggest issue with frozen pipes is that they are prone to split. Have a good check around the area of the frozen pipe, if possible, check the condition of the pipe, if it looks good to try to thaw it with a heater or hair dryer if you see a split call out the plumber.
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