What to Do in a Plumbing Emergency

Think you can escape a plumbing emergency? Think again. Just about everyone will deal with a plumbing emergency in their lifetime, whether they’re renters or homeowners. So, it’s not a matter of “if” you’ll have a plumbing emergency, it’s a matter of “when.”

If you move into an older home with outdated plumbing – beware! With older homes, you never know when a plumbing emergency will strike. But even newer homes can run into issues and before you know it, you’re scrambling to mop up a big mess on the floor or you’re frantically searching for the shutoff valve so you can turn off the water that’s spraying all over your house.

Should I Handle the Emergency Myself?

You may have installed the dishwasher yourself or changed the shower heads in your house, but when it comes to plumbing emergencies, it’s best to call in the pros before a little bit of damage turns into a LOT of damage.

If you come home to a flood in your basement, soggy carpeting or drywall, mold on the bathroom walls, or sewage on your bathroom floor, it’s important to seek help from a professional plumber right away. If you come home to a plumbing emergency, you’ll want to get a plumber on the phone immediately, but in the meantime, you want to follow these steps until the plumber arrives:

Shut off the closest water source immediately. For example, if the problem is coming from the toilet, shut off the water valve that is located at the base or behind the toilet.
If you have a major leak or flood, shut off the main water valve.
If you have a major emergency on your hands, shut off your water heater. This way, you prevent it from being damaged. We advise turning off the water heater after you’ve shut off the main valve. This way, heat will not build up inside the unit – this raises the risk of overheating or even bursting. If your water heater is gas, shut off the gas in the home first.
If you have a small leak and you’ve located it, we suggest placing a bucket underneath it and placing towels or rags around it to minimize the damage on surrounding walls, cupboards or floors.
While you’re tackling the emergency, call a plumber and heed their advice until they’re able to arrive on the scene.

Have a plumbing emergency? Contact Excalibur Plumbing today!