A leak, blockage or heating problem is never welcome – but what exactly is a plumbing emergency? We look at the top reasons to call a plumber and when you should wait for normal hours.
THE TOP 5 PLUMBING EMERGENCIES
BURST PIPE
A burst pipe can cause mayhem. If left untreated, you could face massive damage to your home and a large, complex insurance claim that goes on for months on end. If you notice a leak, act fast: find your stop valve and shut it off immediately. If you can’t isolate the leak, that’ll mean no running water – which classes as a plumbing emergency.
OVERFLOWING TOILET
This can happen in a few ways: a broken float mechanism, a clog or worse – both together. If the float is broken, finding the isolation valve will allow you to buy time to fix it. But if you only have one toilet in your home, have a member of the household who can only access one toilet in the house or you have to shut your water off at the mains as a result, that’s going to count as an emergency plumbing issue.
The same goes with a blockage that you can’t rectify with a plunger. If you haven’t got an alternative toilet, you’ll need to get a plumber to help release the clog.
WATER HEATER FAILURE
Not having hot water is an emergency, especially in homes with vulnerable people and young children – and it’s even more pressing in the winter months. If you have a broken immersion heater and no other means of generating hot water, it’s time to get an emergency plumber out.
FROZEN PIPES
Like a burst pipe, you’ll need to act fast: find your home’s stopcock and shut it off immediately. If you can’t isolate the leak, that’ll mean no running water and certainly no hot water – which will count as a plumbing emergency.
VITAL WATER OUTLET BROKEN
If a key fixture in your home is broken, leaving you unable to cook, clean or sanitise, you may have a plumbing emergency on your hands. If you can’t isolate the broken fixture with valves and have to shut your main supply off, an emergency plumber can help you get your supply flowing again.
WHEN TO CALL A PLUMBER – OR TO WAIT
If you’ve blocked a toilet but have another you can use, then great – you can arrange for a plumber in normal hours and reduce your costs.
If you have isolation valves fitted and can cut supply to only the affected areas in a leak, then you may be able to wait, too.
In most cases, these ideal scenarios just don’t arise: so if you need an emergency plumber in Southampton, or an emergency plumber in Portsmouth, we’re here to help!
PLUMBING EMERGENCY? CALL PRESTIGE PLUMBERS
With our lightning-fast response times, we can get an emergency plumber to you within just 2 hours. We cover Southampton, Portsmouth, Fareham and wider Hampshire. Call us now on 0800 0886 417.
