It is late at night and your toilet refuses to flush. You continue to hit the flusher and the water backs up and begins to overflow, onto your bathroom floor. You try to stop it from coming, but it keeps overflowing. What do you do? Many homeowners are met with a similar situation, an emergency plumbing problem that occurs after normal business hours. These steps will help you prepare for and handle any plumbing emergency.
Contact a commercial plumbing contractor immediately
It might be tempting to try and fix the problem yourself, but it is best to contact emergency plumbing services immediately. The problem can get worse and in the meantime, you don?t have a bathroom to use.
Contact a commercial plumbing contractor immediately
It might be tempting to try and fix the problem yourself, but it is best to contact emergency plumbing services immediately. The problem can get worse and in the meantime, you don?t have a bathroom to use.The best local plumbers will have some way to reach them after business hours. You might have to call around or look for 24 hour emergency plumbers online. It is useful to have an HVAC company with an emergency plumber on call before experiencing a plumbing emergency, but not everyone does.
Begin to clean up the mess
Plumbers and HVAC company contractors that offer emergency plumbing services do not usually offer clean up services. They will fix the problem and then you are left to either call in a remediation company or clean it yourself. Because the backed up water is sewer water, it is best to begin the cleaning process as soon as possible. Sewage water is often contaminated with bacteria and debris that should be removed to prevent an overgrowth of germs or mold.
Contact the insurance company
If the plumbing problem is covered by your insurance company, you want to inform them as soon as possible. In fact, if you plan to submit an insurance claim, you will want to hold off on cleaning. Many insurance companies require that you take images of the problem and the mess. Other insurance companies require that only their trained professionals take images. If you clean up the mess before getting these required images, it is possible that your claim will be denied.
Make sure you choose a plumber that is licensed
You are going to pay a premium price for after hours plumbing services from an HVAC company. In order to achieve more affordable plumbing on an emergency basis, some homeowners will attempt to get a deal from their plumber. Because a repair is often time sensitive and your insurance company has to approve of the plumber, it is best to go with a licensed one. These plumbers are more experienced and can correct your problem quicker. In order to obtain a plumbing license, the Illinois Department of Public Health requires individuals pass a state licensing exam after working under a licensed plumber as a licensed apprentice for a 48 to 72 month period.
How to prevent plumbing emergencies
While not all plumbing emergencies can be prevented, proper upkeep and maintenance can prevent the frequency and damage extent of your plumbing. It is important to schedule regular plumbing inspections, look out for any water problems when they are minor, and fix easily corrected water problems in the household. Approximately 10% of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons of water or more per day. In addition to an increase in utilities, these leaks are more likely to turn into large scale water damage.
Ignoring or putting off an emergency plumbing problem can be a big mistake. A 2,000 square foot home that experiences a one inch flood of water can face about $20,920 in damages. Immediately following a plumbing emergency, it is important to contact an emergency plumber or HVAC company wit emergency plumbing services, your insurance company, and to begin the cleanup process.