Water is something we depend on every day, for drinks, baths, and shower, running the dishwasher or doing laundry, as well as flushing the toilet, watering the garden, heating our water and homes, brushing teeth – the list goes on and on. However, for something so important we rarely give it a second thought until there’s a problem. Things like dripping taps are a nuisance but you can live with that until you find someone to sort a quick fix, however, when it comes to leaking or burst pipes, radiators that won’t get warm, blocked toilets, a boiler that has quit on you or a drain that has well and truly blocked then you are facing a serious plumbing emergency.
This is not the time to flex your rusty ‘DIY fixit’ muscles, as the chances of you either not being able to fix the problem promptly – or even actually making it worse are too high to risk it. The thing to do in a plumbing emergency is to seek professional help from a company who can get to you quickly, and then do a great job, and if you need any convincing on that then keep reading to learn more about exactly why speed of service is so important when you are dealing with a plumbing SOS. A speedy plumbing service is very important because:
Emergency plumbing problems can cause a lot of damage
Serious issues like burst pipes and send water running through your home, spoiling everything in its wakes, such as carpets, furniture, household (or office) items, and even the floor and electrical system. Of course, you probably have home insurance, and it probably has some cover to help compensate for the cost of repairing the fault and putting right any damage done – but there may be a percentage for you to pay, exclusions if things like the boiler haven’t been serviced regularly or even restrictions on how many claims can be made in any one time period. If you’re having a real plumbing disaster then you may consider hiring an emergency shower during repairs.
Even if you have full insurance nothing can compensate for the time cleaning up and replacing items takes, or the heartbreak if precious sentimental items are damaged beyond repair. This kind of water worry can also cause long term damage, for example, if you have pipes which tend to freeze often they will become weak over time, and ultimately, extremely vulnerable to bursting. So make sure you have a reliable 24hremergencyplumber in case you encounter plumbing problems.
Emergency plumbing problems are inconvenient
If your tub faucet is broken you can get by with a shower, even if it is perhaps a little inconvenient, but when your boiler breaks down and there’s not a drop of hot water to be had then you really have an issue to deal with. For boiler repairs visit 2 RED. If this has also affected your heating system right at the point in the year when you cannot manage without extra warmth then the situation can easily deteriorate from inconvenient to potentially dangerous.
Then let’s look at the blocked toilet, which is a huge issue if you don’t have a spare which is accessible by all, or the problems caused by important household items such as waste disposal units, dishwashers and washing machines if they either break or flood.
Emergency plumbing problems can become health hazards
If there’s ever a time when you really need a dependable and fast emergency plumbing service it’s when something in the sewage or water system is blocked so badly it’s caused a backup, and often an unwelcome volcano-like eruption of all kinds of unpleasant things from the toilet bowl or sink. You may be tempted to try a quick fix by pouring some kind of ultra-powerful drain cleaner liquid into the blocked area but this is not advised as it is likely to get stuck on top of the blockage. It may valiantly try to dissolve things, but in the meantime will also be corroding the pipework around it.
Sometimes you may notice the water from your faucets is not running clear. There are many reasons why your water supply is discolored, including water from a new source being piped to your area, sediment which has been stirred in the supply by an unusually high demand, or it could be a sign of decaying pipes which are corroding and sending particles into the water stream as it passes through them. In some cases it is even down to chemical pollution at some point in the water system! Regardless of the culprit you really don’t want to be consuming tainted water, using it to launder clothes or to take a relaxing bath in!
Even non-emergency plumbing problems can be signs of something very serious
A good example of this is low water pressure, which you will notice either when one faucet runs slowly compared to others, or they are all struggling to produce much more than a trickle of water. Slow running water is something you may just put up with, but it is worth checking it out as this kind of irritation can easily develop into a serious plumbing problem. Sometimes low water pressure is caused by a problem at the mains water supply, in which case there’s nothing much you can do except report it, or ask the water company for information on any problems they are aware of. However, it’s more likely to be a result of sediment build up from natural minerals which occur in the water.
Any filtration system you have should be checked and changed or cleaned out as appropriate, but if the problem then continues, or the water pressure change is across the board and very sudden don’t mess about – call an emergency plumber who can guarantee to get their fast as this could be a sign you have a serious problem with a leaking or damaged pipe. Left untreated could easily lead to serious damage being caused to the walls, floors and even perhaps the foundations of your building. When it comes to emergency plumbing problems you can’t afford to hang around for help – a speedy service has the best chance of resolving problems before they get out of hand.
