5 Situations When You Need To Call An Emergency Plumber

What is the difference between a true plumbing emergency, a problem that can wait until the next day, and a small issue that you can handle yourself? The true answer to that question might depend upon the nature of the situation and your own skill. However, most professional plumbers and your homeowners insurance company would probably advise you to call in a professional plumbing service if you have any doubt at all. Quick action can turn a plumbing emergency into a minor inconvenience.

Can You Turn Off The Water Yourself?

If you come home and find water gushing into your house or garage, your first thought should be to shut off your home’s water supply if that is safe and possible. If you don’t believe it is safe for you to try to get to the shutoff valve, you should evacuate your home and call in professionals. If you have no idea where the valve is to shut off the water to your home, then that is something that you should learn before you absolutely need to know.

Can You Control The Water?

In some situations, the leak may be small and slow. Perhaps your problem is a simple drip. You might be able to prevent the water from damaging anything by simply placing a bucket below the leak. That will give you time to breath until you call in the plumber or figure out how to fix the leak on your own.

Does Your House Suddenly Have Low Water Pressure?

If you turn on the faucet and find that your home’s water pressure has dropped to almost nothing, you could have a leak inside or outside of your house.

If left to leak, it could lose thousands of gallons of water and cost you hundreds of dollars. If you are not able to quickly locate and stop the source of the problem, you should absolutely call the plumber because it is possible that just shutting off your house’s water will not be enough to fix the problem. The leak could be beyond your valve in the pipes that run through your yard and into the house.

No Or Very Low Hot Water

Some home’s hot water systems and pipes are better than average, so a low supply of hot water may be normal. However, if you suddenly have no or very little hot water when you run the tap or shower, you could have a problem with your hot water heater that you will not be able to fix yourself.

Both gas and electric hot water heaters can fail, and they may need repair or replacement. Sometimes, a failure could even be a safety issue, and that might particularly be true if you have a gas hot water heater. Also, the tanks could have developed a leak, and this water could be seeping into places in your house where it could do damage.

Your Sewer Is Backed Up

Sure, you can try to plunge your toilet a time or two to see if you can move a clog. However, you should never try to plunge more than a couple of times. If your sewer is clogged, your actions may actually force water back up into your home, and that won’t be a pleasant experience.

A plumber will bring a machine that he can use to run a snake down your sewer drain. This snake can usually take out clogs within fifteen or twenty minutes. Most of these services come with a warranty that the problem will stay fixed for a certain length of time too.

Why Take Chances With Water Damage Or Worse?

Water damage can be a very serious problem. It only takes mold a day or two to begin growing in wet or humid conditions. Water can also begin warping wood within a very short time. An emergency plumber may charge more than a plumber that is scheduled in advance, but there are times that the extra investment can save you money and ensure your peace of mind.

Water damage and mold remediation are very expensive. In some cases, you could have to evacuate your home while repairs get made. You will almost always be better off if you can get your emergency plumbing situations handled by a professional as quickly as possible.

Also, you may have a backed up toilet two hours before your boss is coming to dinner or no hot water when your mother is visiting. These situations are very inconvenient. It should be comforting to know that you can call upon an emergency plumber twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week.

In some cases, however, calling an emergency plumber is more than a convenience. It truly is an urgent situation. If you’re not sure if you have an emergency situation or not, you can always call and ask.