In our last article we touched upon some useful tips you should know in case you ever face a plumbing emergency. Plumbing emergencies occur without a warning and it is important to keep your head cool and not do something that will only make matters worse. Your first step should be to shut off the water supply and call a professional to assess the damage. That’s why it is important to look up a few 24/7-service San Diego plumbers and have their contacts by your side. Apart from that, we give you some of the most frequent emergencies and how to handle them until help arrives.

1. Faucets leaking or dripping

Leaking or dripping faucets should be handled sooner rather than later, as even a small leak can significantly impact your water bill. You can either choose to try and repair the faulty faucet yourself or call a professional to handle it for you. In either case, be sure to cut the water supply to the sink or the bathtub as soon as you notice a leak. You can find the valve under the cabinet, while the bathtub valve should be behind the access panel in a wall near the tub faucet. Depending on whether hot or cold water is leaking you need to turn only the respective valve off. However, when you change the faucet you need to turn both off.

2. Broken flushing mechanism

A malfunctioning toilet flushing mechanism will result in water constantly running down your toilet, and can even cause the toilet to flush on its own. If you notice your toilet flushing mechanism is broken, turn off the water supply to the toilet using a valve located behind the toilet, usually closer to the floor. Depending on the level of damage to the mechanism you might need to replace the whole thing or simply repair the mechanism. Contact a professional San Diego plumber to access the situation properly.

3. Water running in the washing machine

A malfunction can cause the washing machine to keep running water even if the basket is full. In this case, cut off the water supply to the machine through the valve on the hoses behind the washing machine. While these valves are usually in the open, they might be behind an access panel in the wall as well. Apart from that be sure to turn off the washing machine and the circuit breaker to prevent electricity from reaching it.

4. Frozen pipelines

Every homeowner’s worst nightmare, frozen pipes will leave you without water and with a potential risk of bursting pipes wreaking havoc in your home. You can use a hair dryer or a heater to fix the frozen pipes, but exercise extra caution. In order to make sure you don’t start a fire, do not leave the heater unattended. If you are using this method, work in several 10 to 15 minute sessions. Leave nearby faucets open so that the defrosted water can leave the pipeline.

5. Contact the leading San Diego plumbers at Plumbing Plus

In case of an emergency, after you’ve dealt with any immediate threats, be sure to contact a trusted San Diego plumbing service to assess the damage and offer a solution.