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There are a lot of different types of plumbing problems, from small faucet drips to severe drain clogs that lead to sewage backups. As an Oak Ridge, TN, homeowner, it’s important that you have a good understanding of what types of plumbing problems you’re likely to face and how you can deal with them. This is especially true when it comes to knowing when to call an emergency plumbing service. If you want to make sure you’re prepared for plumbing emergencies, here’s what you need to know.

Recognizing an Emergency

The first step to preparing yourself for a plumbing emergency is making sure you know what constitutes an emergency. As soon as you have a major problem with your plumbing system, you need to call an emergency plumbing service and start taking steps to prevent damage, so awareness is key.

Burst pipes are one of the most common plumbing emergencies, especially during the winter. When a pipe gets too cold and freezes, the water inside expands and can break the pipe. This leads to tons of water being poured into your crawl space or wall, as well as a big increase on your water bill.

Sewage backups are another common plumbing emergency. If you’re ever dealing with any sewage or questionable water, it’s a good idea to call a plumbing service to take care of cleanup and repairs. You never know what’s in the water that’s backing up into your home, and it could be hazardous to your health. A professional can carefully remove water from a sewage backup so you get a clean home without putting your health at risk.

Shutting Off Water

Once you know you’ve got a plumbing emergency on your hands, you need to do what you can to deal with the problem while you wait for help. The most important thing you can do while waiting for an emergency plumbing service to arrive at your home is shut off the water to your home.

Shutting off water is as easy as finding the main water shutoff valve and turning it off. The problem is, a lot of homeowners don’t know where their main water shutoff valve is, which means they end up with a ton of water damage while waiting for help. One of the best things you can do to make sure you’re prepared for a plumbing emergency is take the time to locate your main water shutoff valve right now.

Of course, it’s also worth noting that there are separate shutoff valves that are designed to allow you to shut off water to a specific fixture in your home. While most homeowners don’t use these shutoff valves as often as they use the main water shutoff valve, it’s still nice to know they’re there in case you can’t find your main shutoff.

Preventing Plumbing Emergencies

The good news when it comes to paying for emergency plumbing service is that there are a lot of plumbing emergencies you can actually prevent. As a homeowner, it’s your job to make sure you’re staying on top of maintenance and repairs and keeping an eye out for these problems so you don’t have to deal with them.

Preventing burst pipes is probably the most important thing in terms of plumbing emergencies, especially during the winter. What’s even better is that it’s not very difficult to prevent burst pipes in your home. All you have to do is have a plumber take a look at your plumbing and look for any pipes that are located in external walls. You can avoid having to call an emergency plumbing service company by simply insulating this pipe a bit.

You should also do what you can to make sure your drains aren’t getting clogged. While a small drain clog might not be a huge issue in terms of damage, clogs get worse over time and can eventually lead to sewage backups, pipe leaks and other plumbing emergencies. If you don’t want to spend a fortune on emergency plumbing service, make sure you’re putting the right things down your drain and hiring a drain cleaning service every now and then.

Another thing you can do to prevent plumbing emergencies is have your pipes looked at every once in a while. While you might not realize it, water lines are only designed to last a certain amount of time, so it could be time to have yours replaced.

Why You Need a Professional

As is the case with any type of plumbing service, it’s always best to hire a professional when it comes to emergency plumbing service. Not only are plumbing emergencies dangerous to deal with, but you can also allow a lot of damage to happen if you don’t clean things up right.

As soon as you have a problem that you think might be a plumbing emergency, call an emergency plumbing service and have them take a look at it. Whether you’re talking about dealing with standing water, unclogging a drain or repairing or replacing a burst pipe, you don’t want to take any chances when it comes to plumbing problems.

We’ve Got You Covered

The hardest part about owning a home is making sure you’re keeping up with all the maintenance and repairs it takes to keep your home in great shape. This problem suddenly gets worse when you have a plumbing emergency that causes severe damage in your home.

If you’re in need of emergency plumbing service in Oak Ridge, TN, you can count on the folks at My Professional Plumber to get the job done right. We can even help you prevent plumbing emergencies so you don’t have to spend your hard-earned money having them fixed. Next time you need plumbing service, call My Professional Plumber today.