Plumbing emergencies don’t operate strictly from 9 am to 5 pm, so most plumbers provide emergency services. When plumbing emergencies happen at your home or business, you need a local plumber you can rely on. Unfortunately, even if you have such a plumber on call, it often takes at least a few minutes and upwards of a couple of hours for them to arrive. Today, we will look at some of the easiest DIY steps one can take at their home or business to prevent additional damage during a true plumbing emergency.
8 Action Items Everybody Should Know
- Finding the main water valve shutoff stops all major leak issues. Do you know where your water meter is located? If not, find it. The water meter usually lives in your basement or your first-floor closet. Toggling the valve off stops all water flow into the building.
- Rather than shutting off the main valve, toggling off the individual shutoff at the leaking appliance or fixture allows water to flow through the rest of the home but certainly stops your leak until help arrives.
- Plungers fix simple clocks and allow for significant savings on house calls. A simple plunge can clear minor clogs in toilets, sinks, and showers.
- A plumber’s snake exists for tougher clogs and physically dislodges the blockages that form deep in the pipe.
- Insulate your pipes to protect them from unexpected and unwanted disasters. Wrapping pipes in insulation to protect them from the coldest elements saves upwards of thousands in damage.
- Don’t use chemical cleaners. Chemicals degrade and damage your drains and pipes over time. Instead, tread the drains and pipes with CLR and leverage snakes on occasion.
- Do what you can to inspect your pipes, drains, and sprockets regularly. While you don’t need to check every week, an inspection every six months or so would be a good idea. Catching problems early on prevents emergencies entirely. Listen for gurgling sounds that indicate a sewer backup!
- Keep the plumber’s number posted somewhere everybody can access. If your teenagers are home alone and a pipe bursts, you’ll be happy they made the call.
Heating Emergencies – Tips to Remember
Plumbing problems sometimes extend to heating issues, especially if you own a boiler. Should the home or business temperatures drop too far, consider evacuating. Otherwise, here are three essential action items to remember in case of a heating disaster:
- Dress in warm layers to trap heat effectively until the emergency plumber arrives. Wear thermal underwear, sweaters, and thick socks to stay cozy, if necessary.
- Close off nonessential rooms. Try to trap residual heat in the rooms you and your family stay in most.
- Leverage alternative heat sources. Purchase emergency items to keep on hand in case the heating system fails. Space heaters, heated blankets, and glove warmers make a big difference when the temperature starts to drop unexpectedly!
Picture Perfect Plumbing and Heating offers a wide range of affordable plumbing and heating services to the greater NYC area. Their technicians have been extensively trained and undergo annual training programs to stay updated on the latest techniques and equipment.