Emergency Plumbers and When Their Assistance is Required

What Calls for Immediate Plumbing Attention and What Can Wait?

Emergency Plumbers and When Their Assistance is Required

What Calls for Immediate Plumbing Attention and What Can Wait?

As a homeowner, needing an emergency plumber in Oklahoma City can feel like an impossible and nerve-wracking experience. Burst pipes, leaking faucets, drain backups, and other plumbing issues can cause irreversible damage if not handled promptly. Even if you think you can fix it yourself, it is critical to remember that emergency plumbing scenarios call for specialized knowledge and experience if you don’t want to risk making the problem worse. Plumbing repairs have a hefty price tag. This is especially true when they accompany plumbing mistakes or emergencies, so it is best only to call an emergency plumber when necessary. Not all situations that seem bad need immediate attention. While that doesn’t mean you should let the issue persist indefinitely, it does mean that some problems can wait for business hours.

  • There Is A Risk of Flooding. Flooding can come from several sources, including a burst pipe, water shut-off valve malfunction, sewage backup, and more. They have one thing in common: water damage is a severe risk to your home’s structure and your family’s health.
  • Multiple Drains are Clogging at Once. One clogged drain is not a big deal, but numerous drains in different areas of the home stopping simultaneously indicate a problem in the main line. A sewer backup is inevitable.
  • A Sewer Line Backs Up. The waste is sitting in the drain, where it could return anytime. This situation causes a health risk that could endanger your family. It also prevents running water, so you cannot use the bathroom, bathe, or cook dinner.
  • You Have No Running Water. Without running water, you and your family are subject to multiple hazardous health situations similar to when the sewer lines back up. You will also be unable to cook, clean, or relieve yourself.
  • There is Potential for A Pipe to Burst. Bursting pipes combine the risk of flooding with no running water– the two most harmful problems needing emergency attention.

Things that can wait include leaking faucets, running toilets, fixture replacements, and maintenance requests. Emergency plumbers are for the times when extreme health or financial risks are at stake if attention is not paid immediately. Luckily the team at Schuler Plumbing is always willing to help determine whether you have an emergency on your hands.

Couple with buckets calling plumber for water leak

How to Handle an Emergency Plumbing Situation

(While You Wait for the Emergency Plumber)

When emergency plumbing situations strike, you must remain calm. It is easy to panic in the chaos, but having a plan for how you will respond is the best way to minimize fallout. Your options become: calmly assess the situation and formulate a plan that works until the emergency plumber arrives or feed the chaos while trying to fix it yourself, adding to the damage.

If you choose option A) then here is a small guide telling you how to respond to a plumbing emergency.

  • First, turn off the water supply valve. Your home cannot flood if there is no water coming in. It varies depending on the layout of your plumbing system, but it is typically under the sink. Be sure you turn off the water heater at this time too, or it will be at risk of overheating.
  • Next, take a breath. The imminent danger is gone. Now you can calmly find the number for Schuler Plumbing emergency plumbing services.
  • While you wait, soak up standing water and minor floods with old linen and heavy-duty paper towels. Be sure to dry everything well, so mold spores don’t take root.
  • Clear the area during this time, so the plumber has room to work.
  • Avoid making DIY repairs or using harmful chemicals to clear the drains.
  • Finally, all that’s left to do is wait.

We want you to feel prepared if something unexpected happens, and you must call an emergency plumber. In addition to having a plan, one of the best ways to stay prepared is by having a kit for plumbing emergencies ready whenever you need it. Having the right tools within reach and a calm demeanor can prevent costly damage while waiting for the technician.

To get your emergency kit started, begin with a bucket. A household bucket can catch drips from leaks and collect water from a pipe while keeping the rest of your supplies together between uses.

Next, you need gloves because you never know what sticky situation you will find when working with pipes. You want something durable and tactile but still disposable since you won’t want to reuse a pair.

After securing gloves, you should gather various tools– a pipe wrench, adjustable wrench, mid-size slip-joint pliers, and a multi-bit screwdriver. You should also grab any specialty tools to work with your fixtures, such as allen wrenches included with the fixture kit.

Additionally, you will want to pick up some plumber’s putty since it is excellent at making watertight seals in various situations. You will also want two kinds of tape: thread seal, or plumber’s tape, and duct tape. Thread seal tape can seal threaded joints and plastic pipes. Duct tape is handy because it can hold things together temporarily.

Finally, you will want to locate a flashlight and materials for cleanup. These situations can get tricky fast, and the last thing you want is to need old towels, rags, and trash bags in the middle of it.

Once you put all these things together, you have a plumbing kit that will prevent extensive damage until an emergency plumber can reach you.

Avoid Emergency Plumbing Situations in Your Oklahoma City, OK, Home

Tips for Preventing & Minimizing Damage from Emergency Situations

No one likes to think about plumbing emergencies; they can be a nightmare. Waking up in the middle of the night in a swimming pool and having no idea what to do. Hopefully, you feel more prepared for that now, but what if we discuss how you can avoid that situation altogether?

Below are a few tips and tricks we have gathered throughout our 45 years serving Oklahoma City that prevent plumbing emergencies.

  • Know where your main shut-off valve is– that way, you can prevent significant damage if something happens.
  • Make regular and preventative maintenance a priority.
  • Avoid chemical drain cleaners.
  • Be conscious of your water pressure.
  • Fix small drips and leaks as soon as you become aware of them.
  • Use a professional plumber for repairs.
  • Cover your pipes in insulation during the cold to protect them from freezing.
  • Watch what goes down your drains. Whether that be the toilet, shower, or sink drains, they like water and small amounts of toilet paper– not garbage.
Worker checking gas pressure for any leaks

DIY Quick-Fix Vs. Long-Lasting Professional Emergency Plumber

There’s a Chance You Can Handle This, but is it the Smart Thing to Do?

Emergency plumbing is not the time to try on your handyman hat. For starters, it is illegal in Oklahoma to complete plumbing work without a license. No matter how skilled you think you are, the consequences are not worth it. Plumbing mistakes are costly, especially when the circumstances are already dire. You may make the incorrect conclusion– not being able to see what’s happening in the pipes– or you make the right one but don’t know how to find a solution that lasts. Both scenarios tend to lead to a situation where the problem gets worse, maybe even catastrophic.

Finally, plumbing is dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing, especially when it involves gas lines, high-pressure pipes, extreme heat, or water waste. We don’t want you to make the same mistakes we have seen so many Oklahoma City families face. So call Schuler Plumbing for an emergency plumber and watch us take that burden on ourselves.

Reliable and Fair Emergency Plumbers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

24/7 Emergency Plumbing Services From OKC’s Chosen Plumbing Company

As trusted leaders in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, plumbing community for more than four decades, Schuler Plumbing is committed to exceeding your expectations– especially regarding emergency plumbing. Residential clients are the bedrock of our company, so we devote a good portion of our resources to your service because we want you to know that we will take care of your plumbing needs.

Our team has vast depths of knowledge and experience in the industry that we pull from for all of our projects– big or small. Emergency plumbers play a vital role in maintaining the order of your home, so we must fully understand the intricacies of all types of plumbing. Our team has seen everything and will apply that expertise to every project. From burst pipes to overflowing toilets, they have seen it all and know exactly how to handle it in a way that is quick, efficient, and long-lasting.

When partnering with our team, you will have confidence that each job receives our best effort. Emergency plumbers are not the technicians you want to try out. In these times, you want to be sure that the people working on your plumbing know what they are doing. If you desire peace of mind throughout your emergency plumbing repairs, you want Schuler.

Experience the Schuler Difference with a Free Consultation!