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Signs Indicating You Need to Call an Emergency Plumber | Richmond, VA
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When a home develops a plumbing problem, the homeowner always has a big decision to make: is this something that they can fix on their own?
Sometimes, the problem really is as simple as plunging the toilet rapidly or sticking a drain snake down the bathroom sink. When a plumbing problem is that easy, there’s nothing wrong with a little DIY work.
But when a plumbing job goes beyond the basics, there’s no time to waste trying to fix it yourself. You need to get an emergency plumber on the job quickly, or you’ll end up with a lot of water damage on top of your plumbing issue.
However, many homeowners don’t always know the difference between problems that they can solve and problems that require a professional, and a wrong guess can mean extensive damage and a high repair bill. Before you find yourself in that unpleasant situation, it’s important to know a few situations where you absolutely must call for an emergency plumber!
Stopped Toilet
When you notice a clog with your toilet, it’s a good idea to try to plunge it yourself once or twice. But if that doesn’t solve the issue, don’t waste any more time trying to clear it on your own.
Why? Chances are, you’ve got a clog that can’t be removed simply by normal means. If that’s the case, you’re sending more water into a blockage every time that you flush the toilet, and that can only end badly. You’re either going to end up with a flooded bathroom floor or a damaged pipe, and either one is going to require professional assistance. Save yourself the trouble and call for an emergency plumber to find and fix the clog right away.
Standing Water
You might think that you can handle standing water simply by pouring some Drano down your drain and letting it do its job for an hour or two. Unfortunately, that’s exactly why standing water is on this list. Many a homeowner has unwittingly turned their bathroom into a biohazard by pouring Drano or another corrosive cleaner into standing water, and it’s one of the most common mistakes that an emergency plumber has to come fix.
That’s because Drano can cause serious problems if it comes into contact with your skin, and if you breathe in the chemicals, your lungs will pay the price. Once you pour Drano into standing water, you’re committed to either solving the problem then and there or walling off your bathroom until an emergency plumber can get to your home and clear the pipe properly. Obviously, neither is an appealing option.
Burst Pipes
Think that burst pipes only happen during the winter? Think again. Several factors can cause a burst pipe during the summer, including pressure from tree roots, rusting metal, aging pipes and poor-quality DIY plumbing jobs.
At any point, any one of these factors can cause a major plumbing issue, and if you don’t get an emergency plumber on the job in a hurry, you’re going to have much bigger problems than a lack of water pressure. Because this can happen at any time, it’s a good idea to have your pipes inspected and maintained regularly to try to spot any weaknesses while you can still prevent disaster.
Dripping Faucets
You might be thinking that a dripping faucet at your Richmond, VA home isn’t really an emergency. Sure, it’s a problem that you need to have a plumber address at some point, but this isn’t really an emergency situation, right?
Sure — if you don’t mind paying to fix water damage and seeing your water bill drastically increase. A dripping faucet might seem to be a small problem, but the reality is that a faucet that drips once every second will waste about five gallons of water every day. Not only does that mean you’ll be paying extra for your water bill every month, but you’ll be dripping an extra 35 gallons a week under your sink or onto another surface that really can’t take it.
When you consider that the average home bathtub holds only about 80 gallons of water, it’s pretty clear that even the smallest drip from your faucet calls for an emergency plumber as soon as possible.
Lack of Water Pressure
Hopefully, you don’t need to be told that a lack of water pressure in your home is a big deal. Not only is it the fastest way to ruin a great shower, but when your water pressure isn’t producing, the most likely culprit is a leak or slash somewhere in your pipes. If your water starts pouring out of a gash in your pipes, it’s got to go somewhere…and that somewhere is likely into your backyard.
As soon as you step into the shower and discover a noticeable drop in your water pressure, it’s time for you to call for an emergency plumber, immediately.
Lack of Hot Water
This is a situation where you might have a problem with either your pipes or your water heater, but either way, you’ve got an emergency on your hands. Given how important hot water is in washing your dishes, your clothes and yourself, you almost certainly don’t need to be told that this is an emergency. Luckily, an experienced emergency plumber can spot the issue quickly and get things fixed so that you can get back to taking care of your daily life — as long as you’re smart enough to call them right away.
At bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of Richmond, VA, we’re always happy to help provide emergency plumbing services to homeowners when the need arises. When a plumbing disaster strikes your home, don’t waste time trying to figure out how to solve a problem that you might not have the tools to fix. Instead, just contact our team and get help from a qualified emergency plumber who’s helped hundreds of homeowners like yourself out of a tight spot!
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