Emergency Plumbing Services

Posts Tagged ‘Frozen Pipes’

One can avoid several mishaps if they go for regular maintenance of their plumbing systems. Many of the disasters take place because of sheer negligence. Lack of maintenance gives rise to different kinds of plumbing emergencies. If you don?t take proper care of your plumbing system you may experience plumbing emergencies like burst pipe or frozen pipe. If you face any such emergency situation taking a few steps can limit the damage. But you should act very fast and take certain measures even before the plumber arrives. Before calling a plumber, make sure that he is reliable and he will invest enough time to solve the problem so that it doesn?t reoccur.

How to Handle Burst Pipes:

Handling burst pipe is not that difficult. Though you are unaware of the technicalities you can always follow some basic tips to handle the situation initially before the plumber arrives. The first thing to keep in mind is that you should not panic. If you do the work with calm head you can achieve your goal. Firstly see that the water doesn?t flow beyond the leak point. For this you need to turn off all the stop valves. If you feel that turning off the stop valves has not been effective then open all the cold water taps immediately. This will drain out the storage as well as the pipe work system. Make sure that you don?t turn on any hot taps. Turning of the electric immersion heater is also very important. These are the steps that you can take of your own.

How to Handle Frozen Pipes:

Just as you have handled burst pipes you can also handle frozen pipes if you keep in mind the following tips. In case of frozen pipe you should turn off the main source of water supply first. Turn off the stop valve immediately. It is usually present under the kitchen sink. If you don?t find any such valve there then you should try to turn off the external valve mostly present in the garden.

Handling frozen pipes can be difficult when you find that none of the internal or external valves is working. When you see that the frozen pipes are neither controlled by the external valve nor by the internal valve, then they must be controlled by one of the storage cisterns. Another important thing to check is that whether any of the pipes has split or not. If you find a split pipe empty the cold water storage cistern immediately. You can do that by running the cold water taps, or else you can flush the WC. If the pipe is still intact you can easily control the situation.

While you can handle the situation initially it is important that you call a professional to get rid of the problem in long term. There are a number of commercial plumbing service providers and they charge high payment rate for emergency services. You can go online and compare the charges asked by different companies. You can also narrow down your search by mentioning the place. For example if you live in Atlanta you can use keyword like Commercial Plumbing Services Atlanta. This will help you to get an idea about the kind of service a company provides and what is their service charge.

For just about any homeowner the day will come when you need to hire a plumber, and it can be quite a costly phone call to make. There are ways, however, to get the most bang for your buck out of your plumbing.

1 – Reduce the risk

One approach to reducing plumbing costs is to avoid them before they happen. Among the most routine of plumbing calls are those pertaining to drain problems and frozen pops. Lots of houses have a drain or two that is a troublemaker while the rest are fine. Kitchen sinks commonly have a grease buildup in them. Counter this by being careful about what is poured down the drain and occasionally running some boiling hot soapy water down the kitchen sink. Hair in bathroom sinks is another common problem. If your bathroom sink doesn’t have any sort of screened drain cover, invest in one and clean it off regularly. Frozen pipes the problem? If your water pipes aren’t all connected to a heated portion of your house then make certain that you have these pipes insulated well. If it’s late into the season and outdoor water isn’t going to be used anymore, then disconnect any outdoor water connections.

2- Buy your own materials

One high-profit area of plumbing is the sale of hardware and fixtures. If you already know what the problem is or you know what your plumber is going to be replacing, then do some price-comparison shopping and purchase the items that will be needed ahead of time. It may be worth your while to make sure that the products you buy are of good quality and your plumber knows how to work with the brand, make, or model of fixture/hardware that you’ve purchased.

3 – Know your enemy to save chargeable time

No, the plumber isn’t your enemy, plumbing problems are the enemy. Make a checklist of anything in your house that leaks, is clogged, or needs plumber attention. When the plumber arrives have him fix everything that is in need of repair at once rather than piecemeal repairing things when they get really bad and requiring multiple trips from the plumber. This will also help the problem get work done more quickly since they will spend less time hunting and diagnosing problem areas of your residence.

4 – Shop around for the best quality rates

Often times the only criteria people use for selecting a plumber to hire is their hourly rate. While saving money on the hourly rate can be helpful, use common sense and make sure that the plumber you hire is qualified and insured. Ask how the hourly rate is calculated. If a plumber offers you a good rate, but they are far away from you and charge for driving time, it may work out to be easier on the wallet to hire a plumber that is closer to your home.

5 – Use water-saving fixtures

Whether your residence makes use of a local sewer system or utilizes a cesspool, lowering water usage will do much to lower long-term plumbing related costs for you. If you have a sink or faucet that is old and uses a lot water, consider replacing it entirely rather than repairing it. The less water you are passing the less you will be charged for water and the less wear and tear your water disposal system will take.