What is a Plumbing Emergency?

Is a leaking pipe an emergency?

While a simple drip might not be considered a plumbing emergency, anytime you have a leaking pipe, you should consider it an emergency, especially if it’s a burst pipe. Getting a burst pipe repaired as quickly as possible is critical. When a pipe bursts, you’ll pretty quickly experience flooding which leads to water damage and ultimately costly repairs. While plumbers can help with some water damage, depending on how saturated the area is, heavy flooding will require the help of a water restoration company to remove water, dry everything and provide mold and mildew remediation.

If you have a burst pipe, to minimize damage, you first want to shut off the main water line and open all the faucets to drain off the water. The shut-off to the main water line can be found at the street meter which is under the metal cover near often near the sidewalk in the front yard. You can shut off the line using a water meter box lid key, which opens the metal cover; and a curb key to shut off the water. Both of these tools are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased at hardware stores.

The shut-off process is fairly simple: Once the meter lid is taken off, check to see if the utility company has wired up the meter to assist in reading it. If so, gently set the wire aside without breaking it before putting the curb key on the shut-off valve and turning it clockwise 180 degrees until you feel the valve stop.

Follow up by calling an emergency plumber like the experts at HC Edwards Plumbing.

Is a clogged sewer line an emergency?

Many times, people consider clogs a minor issue, something that they might even repair themselves with a little drain cleaner (not recommended because it damages pipes) or a plunger. But, when your sewer line gets clogged, you have a serious plumbing emergency on your hands.

While sewer clogs are common, if they are not cleared out quickly, the sewer line could burst. Should your sewer line burst, you will need to act fast and get an emergency plumbing repair.

Besides creating an awful odor, blocked or burst sewer lines create a health hazard for you and your family. Try to avoid any areas where sewage has leaked or backed up to prevent illness and other health issues.

Emergency plumbing repair costs

As with any sort of service, the costs of plumbing repairs will vary. This will depend on what’s being done and how long it will take, among other factors.

HC Edwards Plumbing always puts our customers first. We know budgets can be tight. We want to maintain the strong reputation we’ve built serving the area for more than 40 years, so our plumbers make sure they provide accurate and honest assessments of the repairs you need. You can also count on our team to provide expert service. Our technicians know their job and are trained to use the latest equipment to ensure you get the best service available.

Most common plumbing repairs

Plumbers work on a wide variety of jobs from repairing dripping faucets to whole-house repiping. Common plumbing repairs include:

• Dripping or broken faucets: Often caused by a worn O-ring, it’s sometimes caused by corrosion that may require the faucet to be replaced. As with a pipe leak, before calling the plumber, if the water won’t shut off, you’ll need to turn it off using the shut-off valves under the sink to avoid water damage and loss.
• Pipe leaks: These could be simple dribbles that only require a few replaced parts or they could be a burst pipe that requires emergency repairs to avoid further damage.
• Running toilets: Often a simple repair of replacing a worn flapper, but a repair that can save money because a constantly running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water every day
• Clogged drains: Clogs need to be cleared as soon as possible to avoid serious problems in your plumbing lines, including leaks. Multiple drain clogs could indicate a problem with your sewer line and a good way to discover what’s wrong is through a video camera inspection.
• Water heaters: Most often the problem is cold water which could signify anything from broken heating elements to sediment build-up. If the water heater is more than 10 years old you might want to consider replacing it.