Your home is a place where you spend a significant amount of time. The last thing you want is to deal with scary, frustrating, or expensive plumbing emergencies at your house.
Luckily, there are some things you can do to keep the cost of future plumbing problems low and prevent them from happening in the first place. If you’re not sure what plumbing emergencies to look out for, check out this article on how to handle the common plumbing emergencies?
Call Your Local Water Company
With almost every city water company, you can contact one of their customer care reps. They can answer any questions you have regarding your water usage and rates. They can also help you prevent future issues by letting you know when you need to replace pipes or appliances.
If you notice rust, discoloured water, or an unusual smell coming from your faucets, you should contact your water company. Do a full inspection of your plumbing every couple of years.
Work While You Wait
Depending on the severity of your plumbing emergency, you might not be able to plumb. Luckily, there are some plumbing emergencies you can take care of while you wait. If your faucet is dripping and you can turn the water off, you can seal up the hole in the pipe with an emergency gate valve.
If the water heater is broken, you can turn off the water to the house for a few hours until the problem is resolved. If your toilet is broken and you can turn the water off, you can use a bucket to use the toilet until you get it fixed.
Check for Damages
Even if your piping system seems to be in good shape, it’s good to have a plumber check your pipes and fixtures before every big project. This is particularly true if you’re doing any major remodelling work (such as replacing your kitchen cabinets).
A Fort Worth plumber can quickly find damage that you might not have noticed. For example, a plumber can find a leaky faucet or broken pipes that are causing your home’s water pressure to drop.
When someone else is doing the remodelling, ask them to look at your plumbing. If you’re remodelling yourself, still have the plumber look around.
Shut off Your Water
If you notice discoloured water, a loss of pressure, or a drop in water pressure in your home, you should shut off the water at the main valve. This will prevent damage and prevent future water emergencies. Call the water company immediately if your home’s water supply is not shut off within two minutes of noticing discoloured or low pressure.
Take Photos
If you have time, try to take photos of the problem areas. This way, if the problem reappears in the future, you can have a better idea of what it looks like.
If you have a water cooler, take photos of the water level to help you track how much you’re using. If you notice any leaks, try to track them to know where the problem is.
If you have a water bill that shows unusually high or low usage, try to track that. Finally, if everything else seems okay and the bill is high, you might want to have a plumber check it out.
Have the Right Tools on Hand
You don’t need to be a plumber to tackle a few basic plumbing emergencies. You just need to have the right tools on hand. If you notice your sink is constantly overflowing or have a dropped water pressure issue in your home, you can quickly unclog your sink and restore water pressure to your entire system.
The same goes for frozen pipes. Some homeowners have a bucket of ice ready in their freezer to thaw frozen pipes if they ever freeze quickly. If you notice any of these problems, you can quickly address them before they get out of hand.
Plumbing can be tricky, but you don’t have to be a professional to tackle some basic plumbing problems. You can quickly identify and solve many common plumbing issues with these tips. You’ll also have the knowledge you need to know when it’s time to call a plumber for help with more severe problems.
