As a homeowner, there is always the possibility of a plumbing-related emergency occurring in your home. From overflowing appliances to burst pipes, these emergencies can cause frustration as well as a good deal of damage.
If a plumbing emergency happens in your home, do you know what to do? When we don't react properly in an event like this, it can cause extra damage. Knowing the proper steps to take in a plumbing emergency can reduce the damage as well as your plumbing repair costs.
Step 1: Turn Off the Water and Water Heater
Whatever the situation is, your first action in a plumbing emergency should always be to turn off the water. The quicker you can shut off the water, the less damage will occur to your home.
Making sure every member of your household knows where the water valve is and how to shut it off is key. You never know who will be home when an emergency like this happens.
After your water is turned off, your water heater has no way to release the pressure and hot water inside. If you don't turn off your water heater along with the water itself, the water heater could burst and cause additional problems.
Step 2: Turn On the Outdoor Faucets
Even after you turn off the water, there will still be a lot of water in the pipes that needs to go somewhere. By turning on the faucets and spigots that drain outside your home, the water will drain outside instead of inside. This is an easy way to prevent additional water damage inside your home. Less water means less cleanup and it lowers the costs of getting your home back to normal.
Step 3: Check Out the Damage
Even though you will probably be feeling overwhelmed at this point, it's important to go over the damage while it's still fresh in your mind. Burst pipes and other accidental plumbing emergencies are covered by homeowners insurance. Inspecting the damage and making detailed notes right away will help when you are filing your claim. It also can't hurt to take some photos.
As you go through inspecting the damage, you can start trying to do what you can to clean it up. Most homeowners don't have the tools to fix water damage, but you can do what you can to separate the water-damaged items from what's still dry and mop up the water.
Step 4: Call a Plumber
Emergencies like this need professional plumbing maintenance and repair to set right. When you experience a plumbing emergency, you want to get it fixed as soon as possible before it causes more damage to your home.
After a pipe bursts or your plumbing appliances break, you want a local expert to come in and fix all of your issues. Choose Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Oneida to identify the cause of the problem and to get it back in working order again in no time. Contact us today to learn more about our plumbing repair and maintenance services.