What To Do In A Plumbing Emergency: 4 Pro Tips
A few top tips about what to do in a plumbing emergency can go a long way in helping you to reduce the damage to your fixtures and fittings while you wait for your emergency plumber in Brighton. Local plumbers in Melbourne can take care of major problems once on site but here is what you can do while awaiting their arrival.
-
Switch off the water
When you first move into your property, apart from getting to know the neighbours, top of the list is to know where the stopcock (form of valve used to control the flow of a liquid) is to turn off the water supply. Water causes a lot of damage to houses and offices, whether it is coming through the ceiling or flooding the basement or utility room. Once you have noticed a leak or downpouring of water, ensure you turn it off immediately before calling your 24-hour plumber in Brighton.
Normally, this main water valve will be found outside the property, located on or near the water meter. The front boundary line of your property is where you would usually locate the water meter, but they can be hidden by overgrown bushes or grasses. If you are renting a property, check with the landlord where the main stopcock or water valve can be found. Check that you can easily access it and that it is not stuck or hard to turn off, because during a plumbing emergency, you will need to cut off the water supply. It is not going to stop the problem, but it will reduce the amount of water flooding into the home. If you cannot turn the water off at the main valve or if it is a leak from a toilet or tap for example, follow down the pipe and there will be a smaller tap or turn screw that isolates water from going to these utilities and switch it off there.
-
Avoid use of chemicals or a “DIY quick fix”
Tempting as it is to think that you can fix an emergency plumbing problem, such as a blocked and overflowing drain yourself, with the use of some handy DIY tools and a proprietary chemical, you can end up doing more damage in the long run.
First of all, you might not know what is blocking the drain so pouring chemicals down may not be the right solution and could possibly damage the drain. The same goes for using home made gadgets or bits of wire to try to push through a blockage. If you end up cracking or splitting a drain, it will be a lot more expensive to dig it all up and replace it, so call in your local plumber.
-
Don’t ignore a dripping tap or small leak
Not calling out a plumber in a timely manner is also false economy. A tap that has dripped for a while or a small leak that appears every time you use a sink or washing machine, will not magically repair itself. All that will happen is that the washer around the tap continues to perish so the leak gets worse, and the tap becomes harder to turn off. A leak from a sink or utility will also continue to damage the flooring around it, causing mould and rot to set in so the cost of new flooring must be factored in when you do get the repair done. A few drips can quickly turn into a major leak so don’t delay and call out your plumber as soon as you spot a problem.
-
Gather as much information and assess the situation
Once you have turned off the water supply, assess the situation so that you can give your plumber as much information as possible. Be clear about the area where the leak occurred and if you think it is due to a washing machine or dishwasher for example, get the make and model to let the plumber know. The more information you are able to give them, the better equipped they will be when they arrive to deal with your emergency.
If you’re having any plumbing issues, make sure to contact the experts at Platform Plumbing. The team’s professionalism, skill, up-to-the-minute knowledge and expertise delivers the fix clients expect every time.
