We’ve all been there. Suddenly, pipes burst. Your power fails. Your electrical or plumbing system in your home goes belly up at a moment’s notice, and you have no idea what to do about it. Well, we’ve got a few tips for you to help you figure out what to do when a plumbing or electrical emergency occurs.
What to do During a Plumbing or Electrical Emergency
Professional Help
When you have an emergency with either your plumbing or your electrical system, you need to get in touch with a professional right away. Professional plumbers and electricians can be expensive to contract, but emergency situations involving your home’s important systems can’t be ignored. Unless you’re a very experienced electrician or plumber, it’s best to leave the repairs of these systems to a professional.
For one thing, it can be dangerous to mess with electrical systems when you don’t know a lot about them. Plumbing isn’t as dangerous, but you could cause lasting damage to your home if you make mistakes while attempting to work on it.
Plumbing Emergencies
If you have a plumbing emergency on your hands that involves broken pipes or overflowing water or drains, you’ve got a few options in the short term before help can arrive. You can shut off the water from the main, which will help prevent ongoing damage to your home when things are getting out of hand.
This will also give you time to assess the situation and the damage, and clean up the damage that’s already occurred. If you don’t know where your main is, you should find that out, because it’ll be hard to find it when things go sideways. In a more minor emergency, such as with an overflowing toiler, you can simply turn the water off from the toilet’s own main valve at the wall.
Water Heater
Similarly, if you have an emergency that requires you cut the water main, you’ll want to make sure you cut off the water heater too. Water heaters can back up with heat even when there is no water, which puts them at risk of bursting. If you have a gas-powered water heater, you want to make sure you turn off the gas first. Find out where your water heater is, how to turn it off, and how to quickly get to it in the event of an emergency.
Electrical Emergencies
Electrical emergencies can be very dangerous. In the event of a serious, life-threatening emergency, make sure you call a professional in to help you. Never touch exposed wires, and stay far away from any outlets if your home has been struck by lightning or is experiencing a surge.
In the event of an emergency that is threatening you, your family or your pets, you can go to the main breaker and cut the power to the house. This will make all electricity cease flowing to your home, which is a great first step to give you a chance to call out a professional.
After Cutting the Power
Once you cut the main power to your home, keep in mind that your fridge is no longer receiving power. Don’t open the fridge or freezer, so you keep all residual cold trapped inside. After an hour or so passes, however, you might have to toss out the perishables. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Additionally, while the power is out, you could consider unplugging all of your appliances. If your home is receiving too much power via a surge, it could result in damage to your appliances. In the meantime, make sure you call out a professional to investigate the issue.