A plumbing emergency is a problem that is causing damage right now, puts health or safety at risk, or leaves your home without water or a working toilet. If it can be shut off and contained, it can usually wait for a scheduled visit.
Problems That Are Emergencies
These situations need fast action:
- Water spraying from a pipe or fitting
- Water coming through a ceiling or light fixture
- Sewage backing up into a tub, toilet, or floor drain
- No water at all in the home
- A leak you cannot stop with any valve
In high-rise and mid-rise buildings, add one more: any leak that is reaching the unit below. Water moves down quickly through floors and walls.
Problems That Can Usually Wait
Some problems are frustrating but not urgent. A dripping faucet, one slow sink, or a toilet that runs now and then can wait if the water is contained. Close the fixture’s valve and plan a repair soon.
Gray Areas
A few situations depend on your home. A broken toilet is urgent if it is the only one. A water heater that stops working is urgent if someone in the home is very young, elderly, or ill. A small leak becomes urgent if it is near electrical outlets.
What to Do First
Stop the water if you can. Keep people away from sewage and wet electrical areas. If you live in a building, call your super or management office as well, since shared pipes may be involved. If you smell gas, leave and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.
When you are dealing with a true emergency, it helps to have a plumber come out quickly to stop the damage and make a plan.
To describe what is happening, call JPR Plumbing at (833) 603-1840. Problems that are not emergencies can wait for a normal booking during the week, and a quick call can help you decide which kind you have.