Sometimes, it’s clear that you’ve got a situation on your hands that qualifies as a plumbing emergency. Are your pipes frozen? Perhaps frozen and then ruptured? Or is there a major break somewhere causing water to gush into your home uncontrolled? These are definitely emergencies!
But sometimes it can be a little harder to decide if your problem really requires an emergency plumber. How can you figure it out? How serious is the issue you’re dealing with? We’ve got some questions you can ask yourself to determine whether your plumbing problem is an emergency or if you can wait for a regular appointment.
How Much Damage Is Being Caused?
Water leaking into a sink or tub, not causing harm because it can drain properly, might not be an emergency. Water leaking into other areas such as the living space or between the walls of your home is much more dire.
Keep in mind that even a slow leak becomes a lot of water in a surprisingly short amount of time. According to the US Geological Survey, a gallon of water is 15,150 drops. At a rate of just one drip every ten seconds, a leak will accumulate 8,640 drops—well over half a gallon—in 24 hours.
The other aspect of this question is whether the damage can be mitigated. Generally, this means turning off the water to that particular fixture. Most fixtures should have shut-off valves which you can turn clockwise to stop water flow. If you can’t shut off the water to the area where a leak is occurring, you’ll have to shut off the main valve to the whole home, which means your situation is more urgent.
Do You Really Need a Plumber?
In some situations that seem to necessitate a plumber, the real source of the problem is elsewhere. If you don’t have any water coming to your home, or your water pressure is suddenly extremely low, it could be an issue with your own home’s plumbing. But it could also be a municipal water problem. Check with your neighbors or your water utility.
You might also be able to resolve a problem yourself, with no need for a plumber. This is particularly true of drain clogs. Using a sink plunger, plastic drain snake, or hand-cranked metal drain auger, you might be able to address the clog. Just don’t try using liquid drain cleaners, which are highly caustic, hazardous to your health, and corrosive to your plumbing.
Can You Wait?
This may be the simplest consideration. If you only have one toilet, and it’s not usable, you have an emergency on your hands. If one toilet is unusable, but you have another, you can wait until regular business hours.
Is It Critical to You?
If something is an emergency for you, personally, we’ll consider it an emergency, too. Did a piece of heirloom jewelry slip into the garbage disposal? Did a child lose a tooth while brushing and watch in horror as it swirled down the sink drain? Stop using that fixture, put up a sign so nobody turns the water on, and call for an emergency plumber in Uniontown, OH to retrieve your priceless treasures.
Contact Crown Group Ohio today with any questions about your plumbing.