How to Be Better Prepared to Handle a Plumbing Emergency
November 30th, 2015Do you remember the last time a component of your plumbing system malfunctioned? Well, if you cannot recall the last time a plumbing emergency occurred in your home, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t know what to do if you find a burst pipe, frozen pipes, or discover that your carpets are soaked one morning, etc.
Knowing what you should do in the event of a plumbing emergency, as well as what things you should have on hand to handle it is important because you could prevent serious water damage.
To help you be better prepared to handle a plumbing emergency, we would suggest that you consider some of what we have listed below.
Seek out your main shutoff valve.
Immediately after you moved in your home, you should have found out where your main shutoff valve was located. It is vital that you know where this is because if several pipes burst in your home, you might want to turn off the water quickly to prevent damage and water loss.
Know where all of your other shutoff valves are located.
Aside from your home’s main shutoff valve, it is also important to know how and where you can turn off the water supply to toilets, water heaters, sinks, and showers/bathtubs. It is vital that you know where each shutoff valve is located because sometimes it isn’t always necessary to turn off the main one.
Have a plumbing emergency toolkit on hand.
Just like you should have a first aid kit, you might also want to consider a plumbing emergency toolkit. Some of the items that you might want to include in the kit are a plunger, flashlight, rubber gloves, rags, duct tape, buckets, and a multi-bit screwdriver.
Have your preferred emergency plumber’s information on your fridge, or put it somewhere it’s easy to find.
If you have a local company/individual that you already go to for any plumbing work, it is important that you know how to get in touch with them. Therefore, place the plumber’s information somewhere that you know you will find it when you have an emergency on your hands. What’s more, if you don’t have a go-to plumber, we strongly suggest you find one that you can get a hold of if an emergency occurs.
As a company that provides emergency plumbing services in and around Philadelphia, we cannot stress enough the importance of taking some time to ensure that you are properly equipped to handle an emergency.
If you like more information about how to handle a plumbing emergency, please reach out to us.