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Plumbing Emergency Guide: Steps to Take When Your Plumbing System Fails

Plumbing emergencies can turn very serious in a short space of time, with municipal water supply pressures entering your home plumbing system at 45 psi (pounds per square inch). That means that a burst pipe, overflowing toilet or leaking water heater can quickly flood your home with hundreds of gallons of water.

Many plumbing repairs can't be delayed, and most often, by the time you discover an issue that's bad enough to call a professional, the issue cannot wait for an appointment in a few days' time. It needs to be dealt with right away.

The most common causes of water damage in a home, include:


Overflowing toilets - When the toilet bowl fills to the brink and starts spilling water onto the floor, it can cause a mess. Most often, there's a shutoff valve located on the wall behind the toilet where the water line connects. Over time, toilet valves can become hard to turn. Ideally, it should be test-operated to ensure that they keep turning freely.

Broken water supply lines - Everyone in the household should know where to turn off the water main supply. If you require a special tool or wrench to operate the shutoff, that should be close at hand.

Leaking water heater - If your water heater tank ruptures, it will continue leaking profusely until you shut off the supply. You will find a cold water inlet valve at the top of the water heater tank and that's the best way to stop the flow right away. If, for whatever reasons you can't operate the valve, the only solution is to turn off the main shutoff until your plumber has repaired the issue.

Then there are the plumbing emergencies that can cause severe damage unless they are dealt with immediately. Once you have called your Toronto emergency plumber, you need to get into action to try limit the damage. In this post, we will show you how.

Shut Off the Water Mains


Plumbing emergencies tend to inflict water damage to the rest of the building. Even the smallest amounts of water damage can lead to costly repairs.

Save yourself the trouble and expenses by turning off the water supply to the specific appliance or faucet. If you don't know where to turn off the specific valve, turn off the mains right away. By shutting off the water, you will reduce the cost of repairs to the plumbing system and home repairs required as a result of the water damage.

Turn Off Appliances and Electricity


If your electrical appliances are water damaged, or plugged in near a flooded area, it poses a serious risk of electrocution or damage to the home wiring.

Unplug any electrical appliances plugged in near the appliance where the plumbing problem - only if it is safe to do so. If it's unsafe, you may have to contact the electric company for emergency electricity disconnect services.

Move Your Belongings Out of Harm's Way

Once you have minimized the flooding risks and fire or electrocution hazards, it is time to try save what you can. Use this opportunity to move any items from the flooded area out of the water and to a safe, dry area. Move anything that can be damaged by water out of the way, and mop up any remaining water.

What do you think?

Written by Anta

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