Do’s and Don’ts of Emergency Plumbing Troubles
Facing an overflowing toilet or a leaky pipe can be extremely daunting when we lack the proper knowledge on how to mitigate the emergency plumbing at hand until the plumber sewer ejector pump arrives to the rescue. With increasing water conservation awareness more and more people are inclined to learn the do’s and don’ts of plumbing emergencies to be able to cut down water wastage in times of flooding and leaky fixtures.
Follow the do’s and don’ts of emergency plumbing to save on water and money:
DO’s
- With leaky fixtures and burst pipes the first and sometimes only effective action to take is close off the water shut off valve. This action will close the water supply to the faulty fixture and stop the water wastage.
2. Insulate pipes that may be exposed to low temperatures to keep them from freezing and splitting up.
3. Gently thaw freezing pipes with a blow dryer but never with a naked flame to prevent thermal expansion of water that can also split open pipes.
4. As toilet leaks are more than often detected in a high water bill, inspect your toilets for any leaks on a periodic basis. Put several drops of food dye in the water tank and let it sit. Come back after an hour to examine the toilet – if you see color dye in the bowl then your toilet is leaking.
5. Try and clean out sediment accumulation in the water heater on a regular basis to prevent clogs that restrict hot water supply to the relevant fixtures.
DON’Ts
- Pour boiling water down the toilet unless you want the bowl to crack open.
2. Throw big objects, diapers, sanitary towels, toys down the toilets. Anything that is not tissue paper can clog the toilet’s drain and cause plumbing emergencies from overflowing toilets to sewer backups.
3. Plant any shrubs and trees over sewer lines.
4. Throw fibrous material down the garbage disposer. Onion skins, celery, artichokes and more fibrous peels can clog the disposer’s blades and cause motor burn outs.
5. Pour cooking fats, oils and grease down the kitchen’s drain to avoid stubborn blockages.
6. Ignore a leaky plumbing fixture until it escalates into costly emergency plumbing situations that waste gallons of water and damage belongings.