You would have to be very lucky to go through life without any sort of plumbing emergency. The thing is, water is essential to our everyday lives, and leaks can not only be annoying but can cause damage to both your building and its contents. So if you get a leak, it is something that you should try to deal with immediately.
Causes of Plumbing Emergencies
There are a few different plumbing emergencies, each with a varying range of seriousness, the potential damage that can be caused, ease of spotting, impact on your life, and the level of complexity to fix. These include:
- Leaky Pipes
- Frozen pipes
- Leaky faucets
- Low water pressure
- Blocked drains
- Sewer backups
- Failed sump pumps
- Basement flooding
- Valuables retrieval
Let’s have a look a little more closely at how you can try to avoid some of these emergencies and what to do if it does happen.
Pipes
It is essential that your pipes are in good condition, cause if they're not they can easily break or leak, meaning the potential for a lot of damage to both your building and belongings – not to mention the water wastage. The moment that you notice a leak, you should call an emergency plumber like A. McKenna Plumbing to find the source of the leak and repair it. A common pipe leak cause is when pipes freeze and expand, causing the pipe to burst. A good way to help avoid this from happening is to insulate the pipes, meaning that they are less likely to burst.
If you get a severely leaking or burst pipe, make sure that you put a bucket under the leak to collect the water and turn off your water at the source. Try not to touch any wiring that you might have close by and call an emergency plumber. If you can, try to open as many windows and doors into your house to get air flowing through it.
Blocked Drains and Sewer Backups
It can be difficult to tell where the problem is with a blocked drain. One thing that isn’t difficult to know, however, is that you have a problem – the smell can’t hide it for long! Try to be wary about what you are flushing down the toilet or down the sink as these can cause blockages. Nappies, lumps of food and even baby wipes are common blockage culprits, so think about throwing these items in the normal rubbish and allow only smaller items flush through the drain system. If you notice a stench coming through the drains, you probably have a blockage, so give an emergency plumber a call as soon as you can.
Valuables Retrieval
It is surprising how many rings, teeth, and contact lenses get dropped down the plug hole, so to avoid this, firstly, don’t leave valuable items balanced on the edge of the sink – prevention is the best cure, as they say! If, however, you do happen to drop something down the plug hole or drain, firstly, don’t turn on the water, and then call an emergency plumber such as A. McKenna Plumbers to help retrieve it if you don’t feel comfortable taking apart the pipes yourself.
When it comes to plumbing and water, no problem should be left to chance, and the potential for damage can be enormous. For this reason, emergency plumbers will save you money in the long run and give you the peace of mind to get on with your day.