What Do You Do In A Plumbing Emergency?

Plumbing emergencies are seemingly unavoidable when you own a home. What are you supposed to do if your toilets stop working or your drains back up?

While you can DIY some of your home plumbing solutions, it’s often best to reach out for professional guidance. With that in mind, what common plumbing emergencies are you likely to run into as a homeowner, and how can you overcome them while you wait for help to arrive?

What Are Some Of The Most Common Plumbing Emergencies?

You can’t prepare for every emergency. That said, there are some plumbing emergencies that are more common than others. Homeowners are most likely to run into one of the following:

• Scalding water – When you want to take a warm bath or wash your hands in warm water, your water heater is a blessing. Sometimes, though, your water heater can heat your water to unusable temperatures as a result of plumbing or appliance failure.
• Drips – What’s more irritating than the constant sound of dripping throughout your home? Not much. Unfortunately, drips aren’t just irritating. They’ll raise your water bill and are often a sign of a larger plumbing problem in the works.
• Frozen or burst pipes – Come wintertime, if your water heater or temperature control appliances aren’t doing their job, you may find yourself dealing with a burst pipe or water that refuses to flow.
• Leaking pipes – Your pipes can start to leak for a myriad of reasons, but none of them are especially convenient. These leaks not only raise your water bill and lower your water pressure, but they also threaten the structural integrity of your home.
• Broken-down appliances – Are your toilets refusing to flush? Is your dishwasher failing to clean your dishes? If so, you may have a plumbing problem. The good news is that most appliance-specific problems can be fixed with a visit from the manufacturer, but you may also need to call in a local contractor for help, should the problem get out of hand.
• Clogs – There’s nothing quite as off-putting as a sink or shower that won’t drain. While you can often handle clogs on your own time, the more severe variety may require professional intervention.
• Unpleasant smells – You wouldn’t think to call a professional to handle an unpleasant smell. If your home consistently smells musty, though, no matter how often you clean, it’s time to reach out to a Virginia Beach, VA, contractor.

What To Do In A Plumbing Emergency

When you’re first faced with a plumbing emergency, you may feel as though your only option is to panic. This isn’t the case! If you act quickly and carefully, you can protect your home from extensive water damage.
The best way to tackle a plumbing emergency at home is to take the following steps:

• Turn off your water at the source to keep the problem from spreading
• Open up your facets and drains to rid your pipes of any excess water
• Inspect your appliances for any damage you may not have noticed
• Check your basement, bathroom and other sensitive areas of your home for leaks
• As soon as the water’s stopped flowing or the immediateness of your emergency has passed, call a professional toilet and plumbing repair contractor.

It is extremely important that you forgo DIY solutions in favor of professional guidance when an emergency first breaks out. If you try to solve your plumbing emergency without knowing what’s caused it, you risk making that problem much worse in the long run.

Avoiding Future Plumbing Emergencies

While it’s important to know what to do in the midst of the plumbing emergency, it’s even more important to know how to avoid one altogether. If you’re looking to safeguard your home from plumbing emergencies, take the following steps:

• Know what plumbing lines and appliances you’re working with
• Don’t DIY your problems away
• Dispose of trash and debris carefully
• Schedule appliance check-ups on a consistent basis
• Avoid overusing chemical products around the house
• Take advantage of your warranties

Are you facing a plumbing emergency, or do you want to protect your home from one?