Helpful Plumbing Tips for Plumbing Emergencies

You never know when plumbing emergency might strike. An overflowing toilet, broken faucet or leaking pipe can cause expensive water damage to your home in addition to just being inconvenient. However, if you are equipped with these plumbing tips, your inconvenience and damage to your home can be reduced.

Know How to Shut Off Water

It is important to know how to shut the water off from the main supply to your home. This valve is usually located at the front of your house where the water enters and can usually be shut off by turning its handle to the right until it is fully closed. Depending on your plumbing problem, you might be able to just turn the water off to the affected fixture so that you can use water in the other areas of your home until the repair is made, e.g. water heater, toilet or sink. It is a good idea to check your turn-off valves at least once a year to make sure they are in working order.

Assemble a Plumbing Emergency Kit

With the right tools and knowledge, it could be possible to make some temporary repairs until your plumber arrives. A plumbing emergency kit is easy to assemble and includes many tools and things that you probably already have in your home, such as:

• Forced Cup or Regular Plunger
• Adjustable wrench
• Medium-sized slip joint pliers
• Multi-bit screwdriver
• Assorted Allen keys
• Duct tape or leak sealing tape
• Plumber’s tape
• Blind caps of various sizes
• Old towels or shop rags

Everything in your kit can be easily stored in a five-gallon bucket that will do double duty as a leak catcher, too.

Call Your Water Company

If it appears that you might have a blocked sewer line or broken main water line, give your water company a call. You might not be responsible for making the repair. If the water company is responsible for making the repair, they will usually make the arrangements for having the problem fixed at their cost.

Review Your Homeowners Insurance Before an Emergency

It is a good idea to review your homeowner’s insurance each year to find out what your policy covers. Do not assume that your insurance will cover the damages and repairs needed. You might need to add additional coverage to avoid an unpleasant surprise when you call your insurer to make a claim for a plumbing emergency.

Know Who to Call Before an Emergency Strikes

Plumbing emergencies do not always happen during normal working hours. So, you want to have the name and phone number of a plumber already handy for when, not if a plumbing emergency happens. Fenwick Home Services is ready to answer your request for help with your plumbing emergency at 904-217-5694‬. Make sure to visit our blog to view more helpful plumbing tips for your home.