Types of Plumbing Emergencies
What defines a plumbing emergency? Typically, it's an emergency if you cannot seem to stop the flow of water. Water can be destructive in your home when it is leaking uncontrollable. Types of emergencies that can cause significant damage and disruption to your life include:
1. Frozen Pipes That Burst
As the weather gets colder, pipes will freeze throughout the Statesville area. Sometimes, they will thaw. Sometimes, frozen pipes will burst and cause flooding in your home.
2. Clogged Toilets That Never Stop Running
Toilets that never stop filling the bowl will begin filling your bathroom. If this is allowed to continue for long enough, your flooring, walls, and even other rooms can be damaged.
3. Flooded Floor Drains
We have had exceptional rainfall amounts lately. Sometimes basements and ground level floors have drains that back up during flooding rain events.
4. Any Steadily Leaking Pipe
A pipe that is steadily leaking is constantly causing water damage. Water can begin to leak through flooring and walls and damage other parts of your home. If left unchecked, organic growth can develop within 48-hours of the occurrence of water damage.
5. Leaking Water Heater
A leaking water heater can cause a lot of damage while also leaving you without hot water.
What Homeowners Should Do in a Plumbing Emergency
Plumbing emergencies are not necessarily inevitable, but they are relatively common for homeowners. The key to mitigating the damage is to be prepared to act quickly. Here are some quick steps that can help reduce damage and repair costs.
1. Turn off the water supply.
Before an emergency occurs, locate your water meter. It could be on a wall or in a basement closet closest to the street. Turn the valve clockwise until it stops. Be aware that the flow can continue for as long as fifteen minutes.
2. Turn off the electricity.
Before you attempt to walk through standing water in your basement or other areas in your home, turn off the electricity in those areas. Contact your plumber before attempting to walk through a flooded basement.
3. Turn off the water heater.
If the leak involves your water heater, shut it off. For residential water heaters, if it is gas, you need simply to turn the gas valve to a 90-degree angle. It will typically have a red handle. If it is an electric water heater, turn it off at the circuit breaker.
4. Minimize water damage.
Once you have taken steps to make sure you can move about safely in the flooded areas, you need to attempt to minimize water damage. Attempt to pump out and dry up as much of the water as you can. If at all possible, you want to try to stop water from leaking through the flooring and walls. You may need to bring in large fans and dehumidifiers, especially in a basement with poor air circulation.
5. Document everything.
Make sure you take pictures of everything and keep all receipts for insurance purposes. This will prove vital as you begin to recover from your plumbing emergency.
Contact Action Services Company for Emergency Plumbing
Once you have taken the steps to minimize water damage, give Action Services Company a call as soon as possible. We will help identify the cause of the emergency and get your plumbing systems working properly. Contact us as soon as you suspect plumbing issues, even before they become emergencies.