Plumbing emergencies face all homes at different times. Thus, the question always remains when, and not if, the emergency will strike and temporarily disrupt your home. Fortunately, facing these emergencies shouldn’t worry you because you can get an emergency plumber to your home and address the issues. Therefore, you can rest assured that you will sort your plumbing inconveniences if and when they arise.
Knowing what to do before making that frantic call to get emergency help is also important. The reason is that what you do here will also affect the phone call you will make. This article discusses three essential things you need to do before dialing for urgent assistance. Read on to learn more before getting emergency plumbing help.
1. Determine the Urgency
Determining whether a plumbing situation is an emergency or not is necessary before calling an emergency plumber. You need to stop panicking and assess the situation to get an accurate picture and reality on the ground. For example, if your bathroom sink has broken down, you can close it down and use the one in the kitchen before finding a lasting solution.
It’s also crucial to identify the plumbing issues closely and carefully to detect what is working and what isn’t. This way, you will save yourself money by paying the regular amount you would pay in the morning or during a business day.
2. Check With Your Water Company
Checking with your water company is another step to take before calling an emergency plumber. This step applies if the problem arises from the mainline plumbing or service line. In this case, you can contact your company even during emergency hours because some water companies also provide these services.
Talk to the service provider to be sure that they handle your specific plumbing need. This way, you will be better positioned to save yourself money if the company can do it. You will also be better placed to contact a reputable plumber if your water company can’t or doesn’t fix the emergency at hand.
3. Turn Off the Water
You also need to turn off the water before calling for emergency plumbing intervention. This action saves you avoidable inconvenience and soaring bills water leaks cause. Remember, water leaks can cause an annual loss of up to 10,000 gallons. Nationwide, the losses amount to about 1 trillion gallons, which is enough water to serve over 11 million American homes.
So, prevent the leaks by shutting off the water. This way, you prevent further property damage from the leaking water. If you can’t locate the leakage’s source, it’s prudent to turn off the water from its main meter. That’s why it’s essential to let all your family members know where the shutoff valves are to help them during emergencies. Also, show them where the main water meter is for the same reason.
Make the Call
Now, you know what to do before making the big call. But how do you make this critical phone call to sort your plumbing needs? This section will show you how best to make this call. Here are the ingredients of a good call and what it should entail.
- Keep your calm and know that a plumbing emergency isn’t a death sentence or the world’s end. Otherwise, your valuable questions might evaporate due to panic.
- Prepare a list of questions you wish to ask the plumbing company you want to contact for urgent assistance.
- Don’t call one plumbing company alone. It’s wise to get various quotations from these service providers to avoid getting a raw deal.
- Be very specific when explaining the problem to the company. Also, give as much information as possible to enable the plumber to understand your situation well. This way, they will know which tools to carry for the emergency work in your home. Enough and accurate information also helps the plumber know how to estimate the project’s cost.
- Ask to talk to the plumber if you don’t reach an answering machine. It’s critical to speak to the plumber on duty and give them details that might assist you in estimating the cost of the emergency you are facing.
Emergency plumbing needs can face any home and cause many challenges. However, emergency plumbers come in handy because they are only a phone call away. This post discussed the three things you should do before dialing for urgent help and how to make that critical call. The choice is yours to use this valuable information to know what to do when the next plumbing emergency strikes.
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