Sometimes you won't be able to get a plumber the exact moment you want one. Water pouring in torrents from a broken pipe or pooling from a blocked drain is distressing to say the least, and can be more so when the plumber tells you their first opening isn't until tomorrow afternoon. In addition, rush service for emergency plumbers costs more, particularly if they come in during holidays or nights.
This article highlights survival tips you should have in your toolkit to deal with these emergencies. Sometimes, you can avert the crisis altogether, or simply mitigate the situation until a plumber is able to reach you.
- You should know where your main water supply shut-down valve is. If you're unable to stop a leak, turn the water off to prevent wastage.
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Find out how to turn water heaters off and on. In most gas heating systems, switching to the "Pilot" setting puts it off.
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In some homes, there are isolation valves controlling different faucets, meaning you can turn off water supply only to the affected area and leave others running. Even if there's no problem, periodically turn the valve off and then back on after some time to keep it working properly
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Wrenches are useful additions to your toolbox. Talk to your home improvement store about the common sizes to have for normal household plumbing. A common technique with wrenches is called "backing off", where two wrenches are used, turning in opposite directions. This allows you to get nut open without stressing your plumbing pipes/lines.
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If a leak is caused by a break in the supply line, you can use a blind cap to shut off the leak until a plumber can fix it
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It isn't uncommon for ferrules to get scratched or dented and result in leakage over time. you should have some Teflon tape, which you can wrap around pipe and ferrule until it can be fixed
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Have some pipe-sealing tape (plumber's tape) or just duct tape, which you can use to temporarily hold together cracks causing leakage.
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The old saying goes, "Get a plunger before you ever need it". You need a small cup plunger for small drains like showers, bathtubs, laundry and bathroom sinks. You should have a separate one for the kitchen sink to avoid contamination. Toilet plungers have wider cups to cover the surface of the toilet. You can invest in forced cup plungers which are more powerful and useful for unsettling tougher clogs, like toilet clogs.
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If you have two kitchen sinks, you can get better unclogging force by covering the other drain with another plunger to allow all the force to be exerted on the clog. If you don't have one, use a sink stopper on the other drain.
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Allen wrench sets can be useful to have when working on garbage disposals and taps, especially if fixtures are held using Allen screws.
For more information, contact companies like P1 Plumbing & Electrical.
