What to Do in the Event That an Emergency Plumbing Situation Arises
Even if you are meticulous in the way that you maintain your home’s plumbing system, it’s still possible that something could go wrong and an emergency plumbing situation could arise. You only have to cast your mind back to July 2013, when extreme weather conditions caused flooding in thousands of homes across the Toronto area. Then there’s the fact that over time the various components that make up your plumbing system will experience wear and tear and eventually break; burst pipes are a good example of this. What happens next and how bad the damage from an emergency plumbing issue is depends on a couple of factors: How quickly you react and who you call out to deal with the issue.
New Canadian Drain & Plumbing is a full service plumbing contractor and has been serving the communities of Toronto, Maple, Richmond Hill, Stouffville, Newmarket, Aurora and King City for many years. We are here to provide support and assistance to homeowners in these areas in any way that we can and during this article we’re going to provide you with some useful advice should an emergency plumbing issue occur at your home.
Follow This Checklist if an Emergency Plumbing Issue Occurs at Your Home
It’s hard to know what you would do in a situation that you’ve never had to deal with before and as already mentioned, doing the wrong thing or failing to do anything at all when a plumbing emergency arises can be very costly, which is why it’s a good idea to prepare yourself for such a possibility. Here’s some tips that should help you overcome any situation that you’re faced with.
- Don’t Worry – This is a simple piece of advice and while it might seem something that’s impossible to do when dozens of litres of water are gushing out onto your living room carpet and soaking into the underlay, it’s absolutely vital that you don’t panic. Panicking just causes you to freeze and will only serve to worsen the situation rather than improve it.
- Shut Off Your Water – This should be the very first thing that you do when faced with an emergency plumbing situation, as it immediately reduces the amount of potential damage that can be done to your property. Not only does this limit the amount of water that can spill through a broken pipe (probably the most common type of emergency plumbing problem), but it also reduces the pressure inside your home’s plumbing system, meaning any water that is left inside will move much slower. If you’re not sure where your water shut-off valve is, it’s usually found either under the kitchen sink or in the airing cupboard.
- Turn Cold Water Taps On – While this might seem like the last thing you want to do (you are trying to stop water movement after all), turning the cold water tap on is a good way to remove any water remaining in the system in a safe manner.
- Turn Off Your Water Heater – Before you touch the hot water taps, be sure to turn your water heater off. Turning these taps will then ensure any water remaining in this part your home’s plumbing is safely drained away.
- Electrics Affected? – If you have any reason to believe that any water has come into contact with part of your home’s electrical system, do not take any chances as this could represent a serious health hazard. Shut off your home’s electric and don’t use anything electrical until a professional plumbing contractor assesses the situation.
- Contact a Plumbing Contractor – The last step is to (if you haven’t already done this) is to get in touch with a reliable emergency plumbing contractor and have them assess the condition of the affected area and make any repairs that are necessary.
We’re fully aware of how stressful it can be when an emergency plumbing issue unexpectedly arises and we do our absolute best to ensure the situation is resolved with the minimum of fuss. If you require our help simply pick up the phone and we will be there within minutes. Visit us on Google+