If you want to be a successful homeowner or renter you should know at least basic emergency plumbing procedures. Joy of owning a home can disappear very quickly when suddenly a pipe bursts or sewage overflow and floods your home or building. Stress and frustration will be even greater if you as an owner are totally ignorant of how your plumbing system works and how you can close the main or emergency valves. Where they are located etc. Time you spend on locating the valve in emergency can make a difference between total destruction and minor damage.
No one expects that you are a professional plumber that can fix everything, but for sure it doesn’t hurt to know the basics, so you can react promptly and limit the damage from sudden malfunctions that could occur.
Broken pipe is for sure not the only issue that can arise, there are also problems with frozen pipes, clogged drains, blocked sewer and many more. Blocked drain can quickly create a lot of problems and even in the worst case scenario can completely block the plumbing system and stop you from using water in all parts of your home or building. If this happens during the night or holiday as it usual does, then you could have a lot of problems even for days. Secret to avoiding such an ugly situation is at least basic knowledge of emergency plumbing. This kind of basic knowledge could save thousands of dollars in reparation costs down the line.
Broken pipe or water leak
You should know the exact location of all the shut off valves, so you could close them promptly if needed. This goes also for valves for all appliances connected to water such as dishwashers etc.The most important valve to know how and where to close is the main water supply valve for your house, in case there is any bigger problem you will need to close it so be sure to know how to locate it fast. If you have any questions regarding this, ask your plumber when he or she does some work for you next time, that why you will prepare yourself for any unexpected event.
Broken Pipe Basic Solution
If the unwanted event occurs, and there is a broken pipe, water is leaking everywhere…. First thing you need to do, even before you call a plumber is to close the valve feeding water to the pipe in question. This way you will dramatically reduce the damage and go from extreme emergency repair to one that can even wait if needed. If there is no valve for that specific pipe, or you do not know how to locate it, just close the main valve for your home. Once you close the valve you can also open any cold water faucet on the same line, that way you will drain the water from that part of the system in a safe manner, instead of letting it leak out through the broken pipe.
These are basic steps you can follow to decrease the damage and give yourself time to get a plumber to do the necessary work.