It is just a fact of life that toilets and sinks back up, and pipes burst, in the middle of the night or on major holidays. You have to weight the cost of having someone come out after hours against living with no water and one less toilet until the next business day. Knowing when to call an emergency plumber, and when to wait, will save you time and money.
Everybody knows that when the temperature dips below freezing water pipes can freeze, but every winter plumbers get calls from panicked homeowners. There are preventive measures you can take to try and avoid this serious problem. You should wrap pipes and leave water taps dripping during the coldest periods.
Experts say you should call a professional before your pipes burst. If the water is frozen in the pipes, trying to warm it up and get it flowing again can backfire on you. It can actually cause the pipes to burst, turning an inconvenience into a problem. Calling an expert when you first find out the pipes are frozen might be expensive, but waiting could cost you a lot more.
Knowing how to turn the water off can be crucial when a pipe bursts and water is spewing. If you do not know how to shut the water down, you need to call a professional. Before you ever have a problem it might be a wise idea to find the main shut off valve so you will know exactly what to do if you have an emergency.
If you live in the city, you are probably on the municipal water line and your value will be located in an underground hatch near the street on or the property line. You need to look for a metal lid identified with the words water or water meter. The other place you can look for the water meter is in your basement or in a crawl space. It will be close to where the main water line goes into the home.
Shutting off the main water valve can adversely affect some appliances however. Experts advise that, if you know where water is coming from, homeowners should turn off the valves specific to appliances first. The shut off valve for a toilet is at its base for instance. The valves for sinks and dishwashers may be hidden by cabinet doors.
If you have an overflowing toilet, you can try to stop its water source. Whether or not you call a plumber immediately will depend on whether or not you have another bathroom everyone can use as a stopgap measure. You have to be aware though that flushing another toilet can make the problem worse.
If at all possible you should delay a call to the plumber until normal business hours. Towels, rags, mops, and buckets may not look great, but using them should tide you over until a professional can get to you. Knowing where the water shut off valves are may save the day.
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