Your home is your sanctuary, and the last thing you want to deal with is a plumbing emergency. However, when your pipes burst or a clogged toilet backs up into your shower, knowing what to do can help ease the stress of the situation. If you have a full-blown plumbing emergency on your hands, it’s important to stay calm and take steps to get the problem under control. Here are some common plumbing emergencies and tips on how to handle them before calling in on an emergency plumber in Pennsylvania:
Shut Off Your Water
In a plumbing emergency, the first thing to do is shut off the water. If you don’t, you could have a houseful of water. For example, if your toilet overflows, you need to turn off the water immediately. You can do this by turning off the valve on the wall behind the toilet or turning off the water main if that doesn’t work.
Your water main is usually outside near the front of your home. It looks like a small round cap at ground level and has valves that control all the water coming into your home. You should be able to turn it off with your hand or a wrench in an emergency.
Assess the Damage
If you have a flood, don’t assume the water is clean. Assess the situation before jumping in and mop up the damage yourself. You may need to call the plumber out for something more serious than your average leaky tap.
If your sink is overflowing or your toilet won’t stop running, an emergency has likely occurred. Dealing with the emergency will require assessing what needs to happen quickly to limit the damage. If you’re dealing with an overflowing toilet, shutting off the water supply will help prevent more water damage.
If a pipe has burst, you’ll need to shut off the water supply. When it comes to burst pipes, in some cases, you can turn off the water supply from the fixture itself, but it may be necessary to turn off your home’s main water supply until an emergency plumber in Pennsylvania can fix it.
Empty the Pipes
If your water pipes have frozen, it’s important to get them thawed out as soon as possible. Turn on the faucet so that when you do get the water running again, there will be somewhere for it to go. If you can’t get the water flowing immediately, you’ll need to relieve your system of built-up pressure.
You can do this by turning off the main water valve and opening up the faucets in your sinks and showers. Turning off the main valve will keep more water from getting into your pipes and freezing—it’s important to know where this valve is located before a plumbing emergency happens.
Notify Your Water Company
If you have a plumbing emergency in your home, it’s important to call your water company and let them know immediately. Even if you think the problem is on your side of the water meter, and even if the leak isn’t directly in your water line, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Suppose your water company is aware of the situation. In that case, they can ensure that no raw sewage is flowing into the public water supply and prevent any further damage from being done as a result. They can also come out to fix any problems on their end so that you don’t end up with a much bigger bill later!
Call Expert Plumbers
If you’ve read this far, you need to call expert plumbers who will be able to fix the problem for you. Even if it seems like a simple fix, these plumbing problems can worsen over time.
You don’t want to have to pay even more to have your home fixed if the pipes burst or worse, as that could cost much more than what you would have paid to get it fixed in the first place. If you are looking for an emergency plumber in Pennsylvania, contact Goodman Plumbing today!
