We sincerely hope you don’t have to deal with a plumbing emergency anytime soon, but read this to make sure you’re prepared and know what to do in case one happens. In this blog we outline a few helpful tips to limit the extent of damage in your emergency plumbing situation:
If you find yourself with a plumbing emergency such as a burst pipe or overflowing drain, the first thing you should do is shut off the water. Before you have an emergency, make sure that you know where your home water shutoff is located and how to use it. This way, if an emergency does occur, you can shut off the water quickly and not be left scrambling and wondering how to do it in the moment.
If your plumbing emergency has resulted in a leak, set up a bucket (or buckets) to catch the drip and contain the water as best you can while you wait for a plumber to arrive. This will save you having to deal with more water damage than necessary.
Make sure that everyone in your household knows what happened and if there is a fixture they cannot use. The last thing you need is someone making your emergency worse just because they weren’t aware!
If your plumbing emergency resulted in water leaking or flooding somewhere in your house, do what you can to clean it up. Use towels to sop up water and put on fans nearby to help dry things out. If you have a major mess on your hands, do what you can to close off the area from the rest of the house so that you don’t end up with pets or kids running through it and tracking water through the house.
Can occur when the weather drops to freezing cold temperatures and you have uninsulated pipes. It is essential to insulate your pipes to prevent them from freezing, bursting and filling the surrounding area with cold water which could seriously damage your floors, walls and furniture. If your pipes are currently frozen, run a portable room heater in order to warm your pipes and delay damage. As well, keep the water running on low, since running water does not freeze as easily. Our plumbers will provide you with three possible solutions to prevent a frozen pipe from freezing again – insulating the pipe, wrapping the pipe in heat conducting wire or rerouting the pipe.
Avoid putting things down the drain that can clog up later, such as food, hair or grease. As the debris coagulates, it creates blockages that lead to clogged drains. If your sink is completely clogged you can try pouring hot water down the drain, plunging it, using drain cleaner removing the drain cover and pulling out the clog by hand (exercise caution when using drain cleaners, as prolonged used can damage pipes). Or you can try fishing out the clog with a hook shaped wire. If the problem persists, or clogs are happening on a regular basis, that’s what we are here for.
When unclogging the kitchen sink, ensure you turn off the switch for the disposal, if you have one, before trying to clean it. Use a long spoon handle or tongs to remove debris. Be sure to never put your hand inside the disposal. Utilize two plungers to unclog the sink, as a second plunger covering the other drain will provide you with the most force. If you are successful, run hot water to assist removing additional debris. If you are not successful, contact our experienced team to get the job done quickly.
If the water in a clogged toilet rises every time you flush, take a wire coat hanger and bend it into a curved shape and try to remove the blockage inside the toilet bowl, being careful not to damage the porcelain. Once you have loosened the blockage, try using a forced cup plunger to fully unclog the toilet. Ensure to place old rags and towels on the bathroom floor to prevent it from getting wet and slippery. At Butler Plumbing, we can quickly identify the solution to your toilet problem. If your toilet requires replacement, you can rest easy knowing that we can install your new toilet fast.
Low water pressure can be due to a variety of reasons, including a blocked tap head or a leak in your pipes. Fixing low water pressure could be as simple as replacing your tap head or even just cleaning it out. If you have tried the above and are still finding your water pressure to be on the low side, contact us to come and fix it today.
As soon as you can, call a plumber who does emergency jobs. At Butler, we have emergency plumbers available 24/7 and will make it a priority to get someone out to you as quickly as possible. We know how frustrating it can be to wait on repairs when you have a serious plumbing issue, so we do everything we can to get the job done fast and efficiently.
Plumbing Emergency Repairs: 780-432-3947
Butler’s plumbers are available for emergency jobs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Contact us anytime for plumbing emergencies as well as routine maintenance, renovations, and repairs.