When to Call an Emergency Plumber | San Antonio, TX
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Plumbing problems are always a downer, but they’re even worse when they require the help of an emergency plumber. The most important thing when it comes to plumbing emergencies is preventing expensive damage to your home. This means responding quickly and working to clean up the damage as soon as possible. However, there are also some things you can do to make sure you’re handling a plumbing emergency properly. If you have the unfortunate experience of dealing with a plumbing emergency, here’s what you need to know to make sure you’re minimizing damage and taking care of the problem in the best way possible.
What Is a Plumbing Emergency?
The first step to dealing with a plumbing emergency is understanding what’s considered a plumbing emergency and why. If you have a standard plumbing problem but choose to hire an emergency plumber, you’re going to spend a lot of unnecessary money. It’s best to only hire emergency plumbers when you or your home are at serious risk.
Bad leaks are one of the most common plumbing emergencies because of the water damage they can cause if left unchecked. A small leak can cost you a lot of money on your water bill and cause severe water damage depending on where it occurs. If you’ve got a bad leak or a burst pipe, there could be hundreds of gallons of water spilling out of the pipe each minute. The faster you can get a plumber to your home to stop the damage, the better off your home will be.
Some plumbing problems are an issue of safety and health, in which case it’s also important to hire a plumber to get the problem fixed quickly. The worst plumbing problems when it comes to health risks are those that involve sewer odors or actual sewage. However, any standing water in a room can create serious risks if that water is touching an electrical outlet. The best thing to do is call an emergency plumber if you’ve got a plumbing problem that simply can’t wait.
Shutting Your Water Off
If there’s one thing every homeowner should know how to do when it comes to plumbing, it’s shutting off the water to a home. Every home is built with a main shutoff valve that allows you to turn water off from the city supply lines to your home in a hurry. When you have a plumbing emergency that could cost you a lot of money if you allow water to keep flowing freely, it’s important to get to this shutoff valve and turn your water off as soon as you can.
If you’re not sure where your main shutoff valve is, now is a good time to figure that out. For the most part, locating a main shutoff valve is fairly easy. The valve is usually located in the basement, although it may be found on an outside wall where you have utilities such as water heaters. If you’re having trouble finding your main shutoff valve, you can have a plumber show you where it’s at so you know for future reference.
One important note about shutoff valves is that many homes have shutoff valves installed for individual fixtures to make things more convenient. If your problem is confined to one sink or toilet, there may be a shutoff valve installed in the bathroom that allows you to cut the water to a single fixture. This makes life much easier while you wait for a plumber to get to your home.
Electricity and Plumbing Emergencies
For the most part, plumbing emergencies are a big deal because of the water damage they can cause. However, standing water in a room can become a big problem because of the potential for electrocution. If you have a lot of standing water in a room and you’ve called an emergency plumber, you should also turn off your main circuit breaker so you don’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt.
The risk with electrocution when it comes to standing water is all about the electrical outlets. When standing water gets too high and eventually starts to spill into electrical outlets, it can electrically charge the water and create fire hazards in your San Antonio, TX, home. No matter why you have standing water in your home, it’s important to let an emergency plumber deal with it instead of doing it yourself.
A Good Work Environment
While it’s not absolutely necessary, one thing you should do while you wait for an emergency plumber to arrive at your home is create a comfortable, productive work environment for them. If you’ve got a lot of clutter in the area where they’ll be doing repairs, move as much as you can to give them some free space. Not only does this make it easier to access the problem area, it makes it easier for them to go to and from their truck if they need any additional tools.
You should also try to keep animals separated when you call an emergency plumber. The idea is to get the problem fixed as soon as possible to minimize water damage, so anything you can do to reduce distractions will be greatly appreciated by your plumber.
The Smart Way
At the end of the day, there’s only so much you can do to prevent plumbing emergencies and minimize the damage they cause to your home. As a homeowner, it’s your responsibility to keep an eye on things, know when to call a professional and get your water and/or power shut off while you wait.
The good news is, bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of San Antonio, TX, is here to help. We know how stressful plumbing emergencies can be, so we make sure you always have access to a good emergency plumber. Next time you have a plumbing emergency you need bluefrog Plumbing + Drain to take care of, call us at (210) 876-1629.
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