A plumbing emergency can happen at the most inconvenient time. Your toilet could overflow or the sinks could clog up unexpectedly. Knowing how to handle the emergency right away could save you money in repairs and damages to your home. Here are emergency tips to follow before contacting 24 hour plumbers for assistance.
Shut Off the Water Supply
As soon as a plumbing emergency occurs, shut off the water supply to prevent additional damage. If your sink or toilet is leaking, you can simply turn off the valves to those fixtures. For major leaks, you may have to shut off the main valve before calling 24 hour plumbers. Make sure you know where these valves are before anything happens so you can quickly respond.
Diagnose the Urgency of the Plumbing Emergency
Before trying to contact emergency plumbers, evaluate the urgency of the repair. If you have an overflowing toilet in the middle of the night and turned off the water, you could wait until morning before calling. If a bathroom sink springs a leak right before the weekend, you may want to wait until Monday before finding a plumbing service. This can save you money on premium charges from a 24 hour plumber for repairs after regular business hours.
Keep a Plumbing Emergency Tool Kit
It can be beneficial to keep an emergency tool kit handy to use while waiting for plumbing services to arrive. You can put all your plumbing supplies in a five-gallon bucket to make them easy to carry. The bucket can be useful for catching water leaks while you’re making minor repairs.
Some tools you will want to have include a plunger, wrenches of various sizes, a multi-bit screwdriver, leak sealing tape, and a hand-crank auger. You may be able to use these tools to fix minor leaks yourself without needing to call a plumber. Easy fixes such as replacing worn toilet flappers or dripping faucets can save you around 10% on your monthly water bill.
Check with the Water Company for Major Problems
There are some plumbing repairs you may not be responsible to pay for. For example, your water company may be liable for problems that involve sewer blockages or a mainline water break. You may be able to get 24 hour plumbing services from them in these situations. Call your local water company first and see what repair services qualify.
Responding quickly to a plumbing emergency can significantly reduce the damage to your home. If you are looking for 24 hour plumbers in Tucson, our professionals at Al Coronado Plumbing can help. Call today to get a free estimate.