What to do During a Plumbing Emergency

The first instinct that most people have when confronted with an emergency, any emergency, is to panic. This holds true for plumbing emergencies, as well. Water is pouring out of your walls or up from under your floor, and it can be an overwhelming thing to deal with. The first and most important thing you need to do in a situation like this, though is: don’t panic! If you know what to do beforehand, you can prevent a lot of water damage and make dealing with the situation a lot easier. Read on to find out how.

The first thing you need to do in a plumbing emergency is to shut off the water. The single biggest threat that the vast majority of plumbing problems pose is that of water damage. If you can limit the flow of water to the area, you can limit the damage as well. Locate your home’s water shutoff valve, and close it. This should shut off all water flow into the home, which means no more water coming from the plumbing problem.

Once you’ve contained the problem, the next step is to limit the damage to things that have already been exposed. Clear the area of furniture and other objects which may become damaged by the water. That done, mop up the immediate area. This prevents the water from soaking into your walls or floor and causing additional damage, as well as protecting anything else in the room that may be susceptible to water. Once that is done, the only thing you have left to do is call a professional and wait for assistance.