There are many types of plumbing emergencies that you can experience at home. The main one is a water leak which may damage flooring and furniture in the home. While you may not know how to deal with these emergencies, there are steps you can take to minimise damage. You should take these steps as you wait for the emergency plumber to arrive. Below is a list of steps you can take when faced with plumbing emergencies:
1. Turn Off the Main Water Valve
If a water pipe inside the house is leaking water, the flush tank of your toilet is leaking a lot of water to the floor or a damaged tap is releasing a significant amount of water to the sink, the first thing you should do is turn off the main valve to prevent more water from leaking. This will save you a lot of money in reduced water damage repair costs, especially if water was leaking to unprotected surfaces. You will also save a lot of water.
If your drains are clogged, and your toilet is overflowing, turning off the water will help to mitigate the damage. To locate the main valve, go outside the house and locate the water meter. The valve is usually next to it. To shut the water off, turn the valve in a clockwise direction.
2. Turn Off Your Water Heater
Water heaters normally heat water continuously. As hot water is used, cold water is brought in for heating. Once you turn off the water supply, the heater will not get water from the inlet. As a result, it may overheat and possibly be damaged as a result of no water. To prevent this from happening, you should turn off the water heater.
Turn off your gas hot water system if it is safe to do so
3. Call an Emergency Plumber
Once you have turned off the water supply and switched off your heater, you can call an emergency plumber. This is a plumbing professional who is available on demand both day and night as well as on weekends and public holidays. When faced with a plumbing emergency, an emergency plumber will get to your home in a matter of minutes. Call WestEnd Plumbing WA on 0447 232 324 or fill out a form on their contact page.
4. Try to Remove Freestanding Water
If there is a lot of freestanding water on the floor, you should use a mop to dry the surface. This will go a long way in preventing water damage, which is usually very costly to repair. When a pool of water is left standing on the floor, it can cause serious damage to not just the floor, but also the walls and ceiling. As the relative humidity in the room rises, condensation of water vapour will take place on the walls and ceiling, and this may cause discolouration. Furthermore, bubbling of paint on the walls may take place. These damages can be costly to repair, so you should try to dry the floor as you wait for the plumber.
