The fundamental rule of plumbing is to attend to issues early and with professionalism to avoid a bigger expense down the road. Everybody likes to stay on top of home maintenance. However, obligations of family and work sometimes prevent homeowners from making necessary repairs in time. In this article, we will examine some emergency plumber mistakes. If you avoid these common mistakes, you should be able to save yourself considerable time, effort and money.

Emergency Plumber Mistakes

Everybody makes mistakes. Unfortunately, when a mistake happens in your plumbing, it can cost you thousands of dollars. Pressurized municipal water can spray a huge volume of water into your home when you’re away. If you don’t know what you’re doing something that looks like a simple repair can end up costing you thousands of dollars in water damage. Here are some major mistakes that all homeowners should try to avoid.

  • Letting your house freeze
  • Failure to shut off your water
  • Flushing inappropriate items
  • Hanging clothing off your tubing
  • Leaving your main line on when you go on vacation

 

Letting Your House Freeze

If you live in a cold climate, you better make sure you keep your furnace well-maintained. If temperatures get below zero and your house looses its heating, you can risk very expensive damage to all your pipes and fixtures. Freezing pipes can crack open, and when the house warms up again, you’ll have pressurized water spraying over all your belongings. In severe cases, frozen pipes can mean completely reinstalling all your plumbing.

Failure to Shut Off Water for Repairs

Do yourself a favor. When you’re repairing a leak, even a small leak, shut off the water. You can shut off the water at the appliance valve, or you can shut off the main line. With pressurized water coming out of the pipes, even a small puncture can spray a huge volume of water into your home. A plumbing job is always faster, safer, and more efficient with the water supply shut off.

Flushing Inappropriate Items

Be careful about what goes into the toilet. Do not flush hazardous chemicals or anything constructed of plastic or metal. Large items can jam up or even crack your toilet. Always dispose of hazardous items appropriately. You don’t want to risk damage to your plumbing system by attempting to lush corrosive materials down the toilet. Also, keep small children from depositing their toys in the toilet.

Hanging Clothing Off Your Tubing

If your laundry room is in your basement, you may be tempted to hang clothing off feed lines to dry. Don’t do it. The weight of wet garments off small copper tubing can cause microscopic fractures to appear. When these fractures turn into leaks, you will have a problem.

Turn Off the Main Line When You Go on Vacation

If you are going on vacation, turn off the water. Turning off the water ensures that no leaks will develop and no rooms will fill up with water while you’re away. When you get home, let the water run for a few seconds upon your first use. This simple preventive measure goes a long way in ensuring plumbing issues will not become plumbing disasters in your absence.

Maintenance Is Key

When disaster strikes, you need an emergency plumber. Always be aware of where the main line is and shut your water supply off until help can arrive. In order to avoid expensive repairs, make sure to contact a professional plumber to attend issues the moment you detect them. Call We Do It Plumbing now to speak with our friendly team. We’re here to help with anything from regular maintenance to plumbing emergencies. By attending to plumbing issues early, you can save yourself the discomfort and the expense of plumbing emergencies.