Four Plumbing Emergencies and What to Do If it Happens to You
There’s nothing quite like a plumbing emergency to ruin a homeowner’s day. Pooling water can quickly induce panic as it can cause hundreds of dollars of damage. If you remain calm and follow a few easy steps, you can avoid significant headache and heartbreak.
These are four of the most common plumbing emergencies that happen to homeowners. Find out more about each of them along with some quick tips to solve these emergencies.
Four Common Plumbing Emergencies
1. Clogged Drain
It’s easy to take a nicely draining sink for granted. Even the most diligent homeowners allow dense materials like coffee grounds and grease down the drain. This will inevitably lead to a clog and will require some work to get your sink functional again.
Start with working the clog with a plunger, if the sink is still clogged it will require an auger (or snake) to break up the blockage. Avoid using chemicals to unclog the drain, as they can cause more harm than good in many cases.
2. Burst Pipes
A burst pipe can the most destructive plumbing emergency on this list. If not caught quickly a burst pipe can dump hundreds of gallons of water usually in a very undesirable location.
If this happens to you, immediately shut off the water, open a faucet to relieve any pressure from the line and start to remove any furniture or items from the area to avoid more damage. Then air out the location of the damage as quickly as possible. The sooner you can dry out the area the better your chances are of avoiding mold build up.
3. Overflowing Toilet
The bathroom can be a place of meditation and contemplation in a person’s home, and when you’re done all you have to do is flush. Unfortunately, there are times when you go to flush and the toilet doesn’t stop when you’re expecting.
There a few things that could be causing the toilet to overflow. Start by turning off the water supply into the toilet usually located behind the toilet. After doing this, fixing the problem could be as simple as using a plunger to dislodge any debris. If the toilet is no longer clogged and still overflowing, then you may have to replace the float mechanism.
4. Sump pump failure
The sump pump is a device that keeps excess groundwater and moisture from damaging a homeowner’s basement. Most of the time it’s something that you never have to think about, but when it starts to malfunction it can give you nightmares.
If the sump pump is not working properly, first start by checking the filter for any debris. If there is nothing clogging the sump pump, then there is a chance that it doesn’t have enough electricity to power it. If the sump pump has been running for an extended period, it could have shut down due to thermal overload.
Your Trusted Local Plumber
Having trouble fixing any of these problems on your own? Give One Hour Rooter a call at 612-354-8984. One Hour Rooter is your trusted plumber in the Twin Cities Metro that can help with anything from frozen pipes, a clogged toilet drain, to a new sump pump installation.
