Being Prepared For An Emergency Plumber Visit | Timberlane, LA
When pipes burst or toilets overflow, your thoughts are streamlined into getting the problem fixed and preventing further damage. Calling our emergency plumber at bluefrog Home Services of New Orleans is an excellent first step in the process. As with all emergencies, information gives you power over the situation, reducing stress and helping our emergency plumber get right to work solving your plumbing problems. There are also a few things you can put on your to-do list to minimize the impact of plumbing emergencies and the costly damage they can cause. As your source of skilled plumbing and home service care in Timberlane, LA, we’re here to help you enjoy your home, and minimize the impact of unexpected problems.
Plumbing Problems and Electricity Call for Professional Help
If the water from your plumbing emergency may have contacted your home’s wiring or looks like it will, that changes the situation. You may face dangers even in trying to mop up the water, and professional advice is essential. It can be tempting to take action to preserve your property, but the risk of electric shock overrides that. Ask our emergency plumber to evaluate the situation and recommend the next steps such as calling an electrician as well or taking safe steps to handle the situation. Our training helps us stay safe, and we can help you remain safe as well.
Knowing Where Your Water Shutoffs Are
Anytime you have a burst pipe or other uncontrolled flow of water, the first step our emergency plumber is likely to have in mind is shutting off the water supply. Sometimes that’s as simple as turning a valve under the sink or behind the toilet if it’s the fixture that’s in trouble. Other times, knowing where the home’s main water shutoff is will be important. If you’re already a customer of ours in Timberlane, LA, we may have that on file, or we may know where homes built at the same time as yours tend to have their shutoffs. It can be in the basement or crawl space, in the yard, and in developments it might even be in a shared space along with shutoffs for other homes. You can ask your neighbors, the previous resident, or anyone who might have information about your home. Keeping a note about your water shutoff valve with your home’s emergency papers is a great idea. If you try to turn the main or fixture shutoff valve yourself, don’t go to extremes even if the situation seems urgent. Using too much force and breaking the valve can make the situation worse. Our emergency plumber faces tough valves all the time, and knows what to do. By the way, you might consider having us visit to check your shutoff valves, making sure they’re present and usable, or installing new ones.
Easy Access and Safety of Children and Pets
When our emergency plumber visits, don’t worry about cleaning up for appearances’ sake! In the heat of the moment, people do things like that, but all we need is easy access to the plumbing, water shutoff, and any related equipment we ask for. If items have been gathering around your water heater, shutoff valve, or other key plumbing locations, why not make a little space just in case? It will help save time in case of a plumbing emergency. Another concern is children and pets roaming around while the emergency plumber is at work. There may be hazards, open doors that usually are closed including those to the outside, and of course, they will probably be curious. Keeping them away from the plumbing problem in a room where they’ll be safe and comfortable can be great for them, and helpful for the emergency plumber as well. This is especially important if any combination of water and electricity is present that could create a risk of electric shock.
Flooring and Caulking in Bathrooms and Kitchens
Cleanup after a plumbing emergency can be extensive and costly, especially if wastewater is involved. Damp flooring, walls, and ceilings below may need to be repaired or replaced, and disinfection performed where unsanitary conditions exist. For situations such as sink and toilet overflows, your first line of defense is a well-installed floor with protection around cuts such as the toilet installation so that water can’t seep in. Old, broken linoleum or an exposed subfloor, even a toilet that’s been rocking because it’s loose can also provide routes for water to flow and cause damage.
Sewer Line Access and Hidden Leak Detection
Today’s emergency plumber has tools that weren’t available in the past, like tiny video cameras that help inspect your plumbing from the inside. We insert the camera into the pipes through sewer line cleanouts and other access points, so it’s helpful if we have easy access to them. You can ask our plumber about important locations to keep clear, especially the main access to your sewer line. Using video helps as part of our leak detection process, where we can find leaks in pipes hidden in your walls, under your foundation, or in your yard. The beauty of this method is we have much less digging, cutting through concrete, or removing portions of walls to find the leak that we did in the past. This is especially important because water may wander, even from floor to floor, or out into your yard from under your foundation, before it shows as a damp spot on the wall or pool in your yard. Pinpointing the leak with technology also saves a lot of time!
Your Stress-Reducing Resource for Urgent Plumbing Problems
There’s no better feeling for a homeowner than getting an emergency under control. Taking basic steps to prepare for any plumbing problems that arise can help get the situation more manageable faster. Feel free to ask our bluefrog Home Services of New Orleans plumbers about any specific questions you have, or call for a plumbing inspection in Timberlane, LA today!
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