Creating More Effective Plumbing

Have you ever had to deal with an urgent plumbing situation? Do you know what you would do if something happened to your plumbing next week? There are a number of things that can go wrong with your plumbing from burst pipes to toilets that are overflowing and everything in between. You may not be able to prepare for every single eventuality but there are definitely some common things that can help you to make general preparations for an emergency situation. These include the following.

Have regular preparedness checks: Just as you should have a fire drill to prepare for fire, you should also check to make sure that you're ready for any emergency plumbing issues that may arise. Know where cleanup supplies are stored and how to shut off the water. Since burst pipes can also damage the electrical system, depending on where they occur, you should also know where and how to shut off the main power supply to your home until you can get an electrician in. It's important that you know how to do these things before it ever becomes necessary for you to actually do them.

Learn who to call: If you hope to hop online and find a plumber when you need one, think again. Not all plumbers will handle emergency plumbing issues. Those who do may not handle your specific issues. For instance, some may focus solely on plumbing problems related to an HVAC system rather than on the rest of the house. Others may only be able to snake out a clogged drain but might not be equipped to deal with a burst pipe. Having a single generic emergency plumber's contact information is good but it's even better to have multiple plumbers to contact just in case.

Find out cleanup costs: When you are able to turn off the water right away, cleanup costs should be minimal and you should be able to do everything yourself. On the other hand, if your home becomes flooded because a pipe happened to burst while you were out of the home, the damage is going to be more severe. Your homeowner's insurance may not pay for the emergency plumbing repairs themselves but it might cover the cost of things like replacing carpet and/or sections of the wall when necessary. Since not every insurance policy covers these things, it's important to find out ahead of time whether or not you'd be covered for this type of event.