Plumbing plays a huge role in your day-to-day life, so when you experience a plumbing problem, it can certainly feel like an emergency. However, calling a plumber after hours or during a weekend or holiday can come at a higher premium. At Pacific Plumbing and Drain, we want you to get the best value and service. In this blog post, we’re going to talk about when you should call an emergency plumber and when you can wait.
WHAT IS CONSIDERED A PLUMBING EMERGENCY?
TOILET ISN’T FLUSHING
Sometimes this can happen because a toilet is clogged or not flushing, but sometimes this can be a mainline backup. Some quick self-diagnosis can be accomplished by checking the other toilets in your home, your shower, and any other low drains. Are any of those other drains affected? If not, you may have a clogged toilet, and can save yourself some money by waiting for a business-hours appointment. If you are seeing sewage in any other place, or hear a gurgling in any fixture, you may need us to come out immediately.
WATER IS GUSHING FROM A PIPE
Is this a fixture in your home or a main supply run? Does the line have a dedicated shutoff? If so, you should be able to use that shutoff to stop the flow of water through the compromised piping. If not, do you know where your main water shutoff is located? You can use that in a pinch, and call us out for emergency service.
WATER COMING UP IN YOUR LAWN
Many a time this is a leak in irrigation systems. If you know where the valve is in your sprinkler box, you can save some water by turning that off. If you notice it close to your meter, or in a fairly direct line from your meter to home, you may have a water main leak. If you feel like you are losing more water than you are comfortable with, you can shut off your water meter and call us for some timely professional help.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM A PLUMBING EMERGENCY
Know where your interior main water shutoff valve is! Many homes are equipped with them. They are usually located in a closet, or in the garage or crawlspace. They look like a hose bib without the bib!
Know where your exterior cleanout is! This will service your main sewer line. It is typically a 2-4 inch capped pipe that will allow us access a main line blockage from either a basement, garage, or outside your home. This will save a plumber time and parts costs in servicing your home.
If you don’t have either of these handy fixtures, we can offer a quote to install them for future use.
FAST AND RELIABLE EMERGENCY PLUMBERS
If you aren’t experiencing the above, your plumbing problem isn’t a true emergency and you may want to consider contacting your plumber the next day to schedule an appointment. However, if you are experiencing a plumbing emergency in the Portland OR and Vancouver WA area, we’re here to help. We provide fast and reliable emergency plumbing services for homeowners and businesses in the area and we’re there for you when you need it most–24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays.
