Tips to Prevent a Plumbing Emergency

There is nothing worse than suffering from a plumbing emergency, especially when it is out of hours. These emergencies can cause a lot of hassle and be extremely costly to fix but you may be able to avoid the emergency by carrying out routine maintenance on your plumbing and being careful. Otherwise, you will need to enlist the help of an emergency plumber like First Call Plumbing.

Ensure the Drains are Maintained

One of the most common plumbing emergencies are blocked drains which cause water to overflow, or even worse, sewage to back up and flow out into the house or garden. These emergencies are largely preventable by taking proper care and doing maintenance on your drains. Do not allow grease, oil, hair, food or other debris to go down the drains. Throw out the grease, and use strainers or traps to catch the other stuff. Only ever flush toilet paper – nothing else should go down the drain. Also, make sure that tree roots are kept under control and away from plumbing. If you’re planting new trees, choose ones that don’t have invasive root systems and keep them as far away from pipes as possible.

If you like you can use one of the common drain cleaners that are available in stores periodically to ensure that your drains are kept in top condition. You should only have to do this once or twice a year but make sure you follow the instructions on the container.

Check All Leaks

You might think that it is only a tiny leak, but you’d be surprised at how a small leak can turn into a big problem. The leak might only be because of a worn washer but if you have a loose or leaking pipe, fixing the leak while it’s small will save you from the worst-case scenario of the pipe becoming totally loose and gushing water everywhere.

Also, have your place checked regularly by a plumber for hidden leaks as much of the domestic and commercial plumbing and heatingsystems is on the walls and floors where you cannot see. We employ leak detection technologies that can pick up those small hidden leaks that you’d otherwise never know about and you can get the problem fixed while it is still small.

If you do see a damp spot, get it checked straightaway before the leak turns into a flood!

Find out the Pipe Runs

If you are doing any digging, drilling or renovation work that is likely to take you near water pipes, always make sure that you know exactly where those pipes are so that you don’t cut into or damage them, resulting in you having to call a plumber to fix the problem that you’ve created. You may find that your house plans outline where plumbing runs. If you are at all unsure, it’s a good idea to check.

Know Where to Turn the Water Off

Knowing how to turn off the water supply to your home is vital if the worst unexpectedly occurs and a pipe breaks. The quicker you turn off the water, the less damage will be done not only to your home but also to the plumbing. Turning the water off quickly may mean that your plumber does not have to do such an extensive repair job.