If you've never experienced a real plumbing emergency, congratulations. However, many plumbing problems can occur from an overflowing toilet or a clogged drain. It pays to be particularly prepared in the wintertime when freezing weather can cause burst pipes.Here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind if you encounter a plumbing emergency.
Leaks
More often than not, plumbing emergencies will involve a leak or clog. Regardless, fixing the problem will likely require shutting off the water to your home. If you don't know where the main water shut-off to your home is, find out where it's located and learn how to shut it off.Also, figure out how to turn off the water to each plumbing fixture -- such as your toilet, wash basin and kitchen sink. If your water heater is experiencing some problems, be sure to turn off the unit, either by turning off the gas or the electricity.
Clogged Toilets
The main thing to remember after flushing a clogged toilet is to prevent your tank from draining into the bowl. You can do this by raising the floating ball and preventing the bowl from filling. After that, reach down and cut off the valve that controls water flow to the toilet. You may then attend to the clog, either by using a plumber's helper or calling a plumber.
Clogged Drains
It's often difficult to figure out where the clog to a bathtub or wash basin drain might be. It could be in the pipe that drains away from the fixture or further down the line.With a double kitchen sink, close off the unclogged drain, fill the clogged sink partially with water and employ vigorous plunging. If this doesn't unclog the stoppage and you're competent to do so, remove the sink trap and use a cable auger to unclog. You may have to contact a plumber to free up a clog further down the line.
For more information on how to deal with a plumbing emergency, contact Air Assurance in Broken Arrow.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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