As a homeowner, few household emergencies are as stressful as plumbing emergencies. It’s easy to understand why. They can wreak havoc on your home and do tremendous damage quickly. So, it’s natural to feel a bit of panic as you call us for emergency plumbing service. However, there are multiple things you can do while you await our arrival to improve the situation. Here’s a step-by-step guide to follow in the event of a plumbing emergency.
Take a Deep Breath
Before attempting to address your plumbing emergency, it’s essential to clear your mind. Rushing around and being unable to focus on the task at hand will only exacerbate the situation. So, the first thing to do after you call us for help is to take a deep breath or two. Take a moment to calm down so you can carefully and safely execute the following actions.
Turn Off Electricity
Before attempting to control your plumbing emergency, consider its location. If your emergency involves a leak, it’s wise to turn off the electricity to the area before approaching it. Water coming near outlets, switches, and fixtures is a recipe for electrocution. You can turn off the power by switching off the breakers in your main electrical panel that supply nearby circuits.
If you’re unsure of which breakers to turn off, you can turn off the master breaker. In most cases, you’ll find it located at the top of the panel. Be aware, however, that doing this will mean your home’s lights won’t work. So, if your emergency has occurred at night, find working flashlights before proceeding.
Find and Turn Off the Right Supply Valve
During a plumbing emergency, your most important task is stopping the flow of water. How you do that depends on the nature of your emergency. For example, if you’re dealing with an overflowing toilet, you can turn off its supply line valve. That will halt the damage without affecting the rest of your home’s plumbing.
The same applies if a leak occurs under a sink. The valves directly below or next to sinks and toilets exist for this express purpose. To shut them off, rotate their handles clockwise until they no longer turn. Be careful not to apply excessive force to the valve, as this may worsen your situation by damaging it.
Things become a little more complicated when you’re not exactly sure where your leak originates. In those situations, you may have no choice but to turn off your home’s main water supply valve. To do that, you must locate it first.
If your home has a basement or crawlspace, the valve should be there, near where your water supply line enters. If not, you may find it on an exterior wall, again near where your water supply line enters. Occasionally, you’ll find a main shutoff valve near your home’s water heater.
Once you locate your shutoff valve, take note of its appearance. If the valve has a circular handle, rotate it clockwise to close it. If the valve has a flat, lever-style handle, rotate it until it’s perpendicular to the water line. Look for small metal stops on the valve to indicate which way to turn it. It will only rotate in one direction, so avoid using unnecessary force.
Open All Your Home’s Faucets
If you’ve turned off your home’s main water supply, it may surprise you to find that it hasn’t halted your leak. That’s because your home’s plumbing holds a significant amount of water and is under pressure. To address this, turn on all the cold-water faucets in your home, which will help drain your pipes.
Turn Off Your Hot Water Heater if Necessary
Some types of plumbing emergencies can also impact your home’s hot water system. If your leak still hasn’t halted after turning off your water supply and opening faucets, that may be why. If your home has a storage-tank water heater, it’s important to recognize that it holds gallons of stored water. That means you may need to turn it off and drain it to control your plumbing emergency.
If yours is an electric water heater, the first step is to turn off its power at the circuit breaker. If you’ve cut the main power to your home, you can skip that step. If you have a gas water heater, locate its temperature dial and rotate it to the “off” position. Then, find its gas supply line and turn its valve to the “off” position.
To drain your water heater, you’ll need a garden hose and heat-resistant gloves. If you don’t have those handy, you can leave the job to our plumber. Otherwise, you must put on the gloves and attach the hose to the lower drain of your water heater. Then, run the hose to a nearby sink and secure it in place with a heavy object. Then, you can open the water heater’s drain valve to evacuate any remaining stored water. That should eliminate the final source of water feeding your leak.
Clean Up as Much Water as Possible
With your leak halted, your next task is to clean up as much water as you can. Every moment that water has to soak into your home’s walls, floors, and ceilings will increase the damage. Typically, the easiest way to clean up after a leak is to use as many large towels as you have to soak it up.
It will also do a decent job of wicking moisture away from absorbent surfaces, such as drywall. If you own a shop vac and your power is still on, you can use it to vacuum up water quickly. That will also help you stretch out your towel supply because you will use those only for follow-up cleaning.
Ventilate and Dry the Affected Area
To further limit the damage caused by your plumbing emergency, you’ll want to dry out the affected area. To start doing that, open nearby windows to increase airflow over the damp surfaces. If your power is still on, you can use fans to push more air through the affected area. That will accelerate the evaporation of the remaining water. You can also use portable heaters for even faster drying times. However, be careful not to leave them unattended, or your plumbing emergency may be the least of your home’s problems.
Localize the Problem and Clear the Area
Finally, once the emergency is under control, investigate the affected area to determine its cause. The more information you can provide to our emergency plumber, the faster they can resolve your problem. Additionally, it’s a good idea to clear away anything that might obstruct our plumber’s access. If there is any large furniture in the affected area, only move it if you can do so safely. Otherwise, leave everything in place and wait for assistance.
Trusted Emergency Plumbing Specialists
In many cases, our emergency plumber will arrive at your location before you can complete the steps above. In that case, you can let them take over and handle the rest. With over 25 years of experience, you can trust our plumbers to offer a swift solution to your plumbing problem.
At AZ Family Plumbing, we take pride in being fully licensed, certified, and insured. You can count on us for emergency plumbing services 24/7, even on holidays. Additionally, we’re a Better Business Bureau-accredited business with an A+ rating. So, when an emergency plumbing repair strikes your Glendale, AZ, home, call AZ Family Plumbing immediately!
