During this time of year people are running around town filling their shopping carts and shopping bags with food to prepare and gifts to wrap.
The days leading up to the holiday season are filled with excitement, stress, and sometimes – plumbing disasters.
When things get hectic, but there is still a deadline to maintain, this often leads to hurried choices and behaviors. While you know it is not a good idea to shove those potato peels into the garbage disposal, you are busily trying to get the meal ready for your family and guests.
Follow these steps to properly handle a plumbing emergency:
- If there is flooding make sure to turn off the water valve. You can do this one of two way. If the water is flooding from a broken pipe, then you need to turn off the main water shut off valve outside. This will leave your entire home without water until the situation is resolved. If the flooding or overflow is only coming from one fixture then turn the water off just to that area.
- Don’t panic if you are dealing with a plumbing emergency. The stress and chaos of the holidays can cause a situation to be heightened, add to that a plumbing emergency and rash decisions can be made that cause things to be worse. Stay calm and turn the water off to contain the flooding or water overflow.
- Call a plumber and thoroughly explain the situation. Make sure to tell the plumber about any steps that you have taken to help fix the problem. Sometimes these steps (like shutting off the water) are very helpful and other times (pour chemicals into a clogged drain) can make a situation more of a challenge.
Unfortunately, this is the time of year when plumbing clogs, malfunctions, and appliance breakdowns happen more often than others.
All of this excitement and rushing will often lead to decision-making that is not typical of your routine. Hurried decisions are made in an effort to get a task done and checked off but, don’t always leave the best results – especially for your plumbing system.