Being prepared for a plumbing emergency is key to minimizing damage.
With all of life’s little problems that spring out of nowhere, it is amazing how most people tend not to be prepared even for the most minor of incidents. When it comes to plumbing issues, your problems could stem from small leaks to full blown pipe bursts. There are a few ways you can be more prepared to handle the situation with ease rather than be caught off guard.
Know your local emergency plumber.
For the Central Florida area (Lakeland, Plant City, and surrounding areas), you can rely on round-the-clock emergency plumbing service from True Plumbers & AC. If you are outside of this specific service zone, search around for an emergency plumbing service you can trust and keep the phone number handy. Our guide to choosing reliable emergency plumbing in Florida covers what to look for. Plumbing emergencies tend to come up without warning, and getting a professional on the line immediately will help rectify the situation quicker.
Turn off the water to the entire home and clear the pipes.
There are a few basic steps that can help any homeowner in a plumbing crisis before your plumber can get to your house. These steps will help minimize any water damage to your home and cut off the water supply to ensure more damage does not occur.
- Cut the supply of water to your home by turning off the water. This is especially important if you are unable to locate the source of the emergency. Find the main valve and turn clockwise to cut off the flow of water into your home.
- Immediately go and shut off the water heater. Once your main water supply is shut off it will cause pressure and hot water to rise in your water heater. This could cause too much pressure to build and exceed the water heater’s limit and cause it to burst. If the tank itself is the source of the trouble, that is a water heater repair call, and the warning signs of a failing heater usually show up weeks in advance.
- Open the spigots outside of your house. This helps free the pipes of any excess water and directs water that would be going to the house away from it.
- Stop any leaks. Any lingering water in your piping will continue to leak even after the water is off. Use tape, plumber’s epoxy, rags, and buckets to contain or stop the leaks as best you can until a professional plumber arrives. If you cannot find where the water is coming from, our leak detection technicians can trace it without opening walls, including a slab leak under the floor.
Do an immediate cleanup of any affected areas in your home.
Dry everything as quickly as possible. This includes furniture, flooring, carpeting, and drywall. If the water got further than towels and fans can reach, call us for water mitigation before permanent damage sets in. True Plumbers & AC handles water damage restoration too, so the same company that stops the leak also dries the structure and puts it back. If the loss came from a storm rather than a pipe, ask about flood restoration. Our step-by-step guide on what to do after a water leak walks through the drying process in more detail. Large structural rebuilds and remodeling are handled by our sister company, True Builders.
Being proactive during a plumbing emergency can make a huge difference in damages and cost. Know what to do, when to act, and get a professional plumbing team like True Plumbers & AC to assist you immediately. Call (863) 667-6364 or request service online. We also cover Winter Haven and the rest of our service areas, and you can browse the full range of plumbing services any time.
