At some point, while owning a home, you are likely to experience some type of plumbing emergency. As long as you are prepared and can act quickly, there will be less of a risk of significant water damage and expensive repairs. Although it is important that you have an emergency plumber ready, there are a few things that you can do on your end to help minimize the damage that occurs when a plumbing emergency does arise.
Call Your Emergency Plumber Immediately
You are likely to go into a panic when you see water flooding your floor or basement or leaking from your ceiling, but you need to try to remain as calm as possible and contact your emergency plumber. Because situations like these are pretty urgent, it is a good idea to have one on speed dial that you know you can rely on.
Turn Off the Water Supply
To reduce the flooding and minimize the damage, you should switch off the water supply. Ideally, this should be done as close to the source of the issue as possible. For instance, if your toilet is overflowing, then you should turn the water off at the toilet valve. If your washing machine, dishwasher, or other water-using appliance is leaking, then you should turn off the inlet valve on it to temporarily halt the leak. If there are multiple outlets in the home that are affected or you are unable to locate the nearest shutoff valve, then simply turn off the home's main water valve until the emergency plumber is able to get to your house.
Switch Off the Water Heater
If you had to turn your water off at the main water supply, or the plumbing emergency is related to your water heater, turn the water heater off to help minimize damage. Make sure you do this after you have switched off the main supply. In addition, if your water heater is gas-powered, don't forget to first turn off the gas supply.
Identify the Leak
If at all possible, try to determine the source of your water leak. If it is small enough, you may be able to stop the leak yourself temporarily with some plumber's tape or old towels or rags. This can help to minimize the water damage to your home. Make note of any leaks that you are able to identify so that you can let the plumber know once they arrive, which will help speed up the diagnosis and repair process.
Taking the aforementioned steps can make all the difference in minor and major water damage during a plumbing emergency. For more information about emergency plumbing services, contact a local plumbing company.
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