5 Most Common Emergency Plumbing Problems in Homes

When the plumbing in your home or business is working, you probably don’t give it a second thought. When it fails to do its job, however, you notice right away. It can be very overwhelming and sometimes even scary if you need an emergency plumber. Your home could be being damaged by water.

You may also need to act quickly to shut the water off. Knowing that you can call a plumber in an emergency can be a great comfort as you assess the situation and the damage. Here are some of the top reasons that emergency plumbers are called out.

1. The kitchen sink is clogged

This is one of the most common plumbing issues that most homeowners face. It can be very frustrating as now one of the most important parts of your kitchen is useless. Kitchen drains are often clogged at the most inconvenient of times.

Usually, right before you have guests coming over and you need to make a large dinner. This can be a real problem and something that you need to be fixed right away. If you find yourself in this situation, then you should not hesitate to get in touch with an emergency plumber. In no time you will be able to use your kitchen once again.

2. Flooded basement

A burst pipe can cause your basement to be flooded. This can be a real nightmare as water can do a lot of damage. If you notice even a small buildup of water in your basement you need to act immediately. This could be the sign that something is very wrong with your plumbing. You may also want to take a look at your water heater if that is in the basement. A fault with the plumbing of your water heater can also cause a basement to flood.

3. Frozen pipes

We all remember from high school classes that when water freezes, it expands. This means that a pipe that has water freeze inside of it is going to burst. Then when the temperature drops you have nothing to prevent the water from coming into your home.

This is a problem that people encounter when they come back from vacation. What happens is when a tap is not in use for an extended period of time over the winter the water freezes. A great tip to avoid this is to ensure that all of the taps are dripping before you walk out the door. This will mean that the water is always moving through the pipes while you’re away.

4. A clogged toilet

This can be both annoying and embarrassing. A clogged toilet is something that we all have to deal with from time to time. You may be able to fix the problem on your own using a plunger. Unfortunately, sometimes you will need the assistance of a plumber. Just like a blocked sink, you may find that this happens at the worst possible time.

5. Cold showers

If you wake up and cannot get the water in your shower to heat up then you should probably consider what the issue is. There are many problems that could be the cause of this but the most common is an issue with your hot water heater.

If you have a gas hot water heater remember to check and make sure that it is lit. If you have an electric hot water heater make sure that you check the breaker box. Doing some troubleshooting of your own before you call an emergency plumber can go a long way to solving your problem.