What To Do In A Plumbing Emergency

While we try our best to avoid them, plumbing problems are one of life’s unfortunate and inevitable certainties.  When you can’t prevent a plumbing crisis, follow these simple steps to help mitigate the damage:

Turn Off Your Water: Whether you have an overflowing sink basin, a backed up drain, or a flooded bathroom, begin to control the damage by shutting off your water at your home’s main shutoff valve.  Typically, the shutoff valve will be located inside your home near your water meter.  Once you (or your plumber) has identified the source of the problem and insulated the issue to a single fixture, isolation valves (valves located at each fixture and designed to stop the flow of water to that location only) can be turned off in place of the shut-off valve.  Using your isolation valve as opposed to the shut-off valve will allow you to keep the water on in the rest of your home while the repair is underway.

Turn Off Your Water Heater: Once your water is turned off, take the time to also turn off your water heater as a partially empty water heater is more likely to burst.

Remove The Water: The first step to resolving your plumbing problems is to contain the water damage.  Remove standing water, mop up any spills, and try to limit further spills.

Call In Reinforcements: If resolving your plumbing problem falls outside of your comfort zone, contact us at Nowthen Plumbing to help remedy the situation.  When you call, try to be as specific as possible to help us pinpoint the problem as quickly and accurately as we can!