How to Know You Have a Plumbing Emergency

[fa icon="calendar"] September 20, 2013 / by Home Services Expert

Emergencies in your home can occur at any time. While there are many systems in your home that can create issues, a plumbing emergency is one of the most serious. Therefore, it is best to know what constitutes a crisis before you call for help.

Plumbing in Chico is no different than anywhere else. Problems can arise with your plumbing at the most inopportune time.

Why It's Important

If you know the difference between a real issue and something minor you can save yourself a lot of money. Service calls are very expensive! Many problems need to be handled immediately, no matter what time they occur. Others can wait until you won't have to pay an emergency fee for a plumber to come out.

How to Determine If There Is An Issue

Following are some simple guidelines to help you determine if your problem is large enough to call for plumbing help in Chico. While these may seem simple and common-sense in some cases, during a plumbing emergency those may go out the window. Know beforehand what is truly a crisis.

Gas leaks

Gas leaks are both scary and dangerous. The smell of gas in your home will cause panic from the start. While you can't wait too long to call for help try to determine how serious the issue is. If the smell is very strong and lingers it's time to take action. Often there may be a faint smell of gas or your nose could just be playing tricks on you. If the smell seems to dissipate quickly and does not remain you are probably fine.

Water leaks

This can be a tricky one. Of course, if you wake up to a foot of water in your home you have an emergency. You are either in a flood or something has gone terribly wrong with your plumbing. Other issues can be harder to determine. Water may be leaking into areas where you can't see it easily. Even a small leak can cause plenty of damage and waste many gallons of water. Trace the source of the water as best you can. Feel walls to see if they are wet. Check your flooring, especially if you have carpeting to see how wet it is. Look all around the outside of your home for large amounts of water. Listen to see if you can hear water flowing. If you see or feel large amounts of water you have an emergency.

>> Contact a Chico Plumber Today!!

No heat in your home

If your gas heating system goes on the blink check to see if you have big problems. It could just be the breaker is turned off or the thermostat is set wrong. If you don't see any obvious issues call for help especially if you have children or elderly people in your home.

Drain issues

If a sink or toilet won't flush or drain take steps to remedy the issue yourself. Use a plunger to try to unclog the stoppage. Drano or other chemicals can be used but be careful when you use them. They are dangerous to you and can cause issues with your pipes.

Faucets and valves

Sometimes the threads on these will strip. There is no way for you to turn the water off. Call for help so you don't waste too much water.

While water and gas leaks will probably be your biggest concerns with your plumbing many other things can go wrong. Sometimes you can find an obvious fix yourself, but if you're concerned about a plumbing issue you may want to call a Chico plumber for help. At Experts In Your Home, we offer a comprehensive 27 point plumbing inspection to find existing problems and help you avoid surprises down the road.