Tips for Dealing with a Plumbing Emergency

When a plumbing emergency strikes, you need to know what to do immediately. Every minute that you waste could cause extra damage to your home as the water spreads from a broken pipe, a burst valve, an overflowing toilet or anything else that you're dealing with. Use these tips to help get through this experience with as little trouble as possible.

1. Call an Emergency Plumber Without Delay

You must have a professional on the scene to take care of the issue. Look for someone who has been working in the industry for years, as the experience that he or she brings to the table will allow for a quick diagnosis so that proper action can be taken.

Also look for someone with a quick response time, as the best plumbers can bump your emergency to the top of the list.

2. Shut off the Water to the House

If you know there the shutoffs are in the line, you may be able to leave water going to some parts of the house, while just stopping it from getting to the burst pipe or the place where the issue is occurring. However, it's usually best to just shut things down to the whole house.

If you're on city water, you should have a valve in your basement where the pipes come in from the street. Turning this cuts the supply off, though it make take a minute to get the rest of the water out of the system.

If you are using a well, you should also have an input valve where you can turn things off, though the placement may be different depending on where your well is located and what type you have.

Either way, you should only have to turn one shutoff value to keep water from getting to the house, and it's wise to know where this is located well in advance of any issues.

3. Drain Water at the Lowest Point

One way to get the water out of the system more quickly is to open the valves at the lowest point in your house - often, this means in the basement, near the washer and dryer - to let the water drain there.

Do this after you shut off the water supply from the street. This lowers the pressure on the broken parts and eliminates water in a safe manner, before it can cause more damage.

Looking for an emergency plumber in Sherman Oaks? Call Plumbing Brothers & Rooter at (855) 375-5700 for quality service you can trust!