Tag: emergencies

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How To Find The Emergency Shut Off Valve

How to Find The Emergency Shut Off Valve | London Plumbing | London Ontario Plumber

It’s the worst case scenario, plumbing-wise. Your faucet, your toilet, your bathtub – something has spring a major leak. Water is spraying everywhere, and you’re worried it will cause thousands of dollars in damage.

What do you do?

You should call your local plumber, of course, but what about the leaking water? Your plumber will arrive as soon as they can, but in the meantime you still have a big wet problem on your hands. But first…

Turn Off The Emergency Shutoff Valve

Before you spend a ton of cash calling a 24 hour emergency licensed plumbing contractor, though, here’s how you can save your home from damage and save some money while you’re at it.

The first thing you should do – even before calling a plumber – is to shut off the water to your house. This stops the flow of water to all the pipes in your home. This won’t fix the problem right away, but it will at least prevent it from further damaging your home.

But of course, you need to know where to find it first.

How To Find The Emergency Shut Off Valve

Every home has an emergency plumbing shut off valve, and in times where you have a plumbing emergency you’ll be glad it’s there! Most of the time you’ll find it near the water meter in your home.

That begs another question though – where is your water meter?

You’ll usually find it attached to the side of your home, but it can sometimes be buried as well. In these cases, you can find a small hatch on your property similar to a sewer cap. It might be marked “water”.

If you can’t turn it by hand, you’ll need to use either a pipe wrench or a water key – a special plumbing wrench. Grab one from a hardware store before the emergency happens so you’re prepared.

If you can’t find your shut off valve, give us a call.

Individual Plumbing Fixture Shut Off Valves

While your entire house has its own dedicated shut off valve, you also have individual shut off valves attached to each fixture as well. These are usually located in an inconspicuous spot – behind your toilet, or under your sink. Take some time to locate these valves – they’re usually almond-shaped – in case of an emergency later. You’ll be glad you did!

Try shutting them off too – if they’re stuck now, add some lubricant to make them run smoothly. I guarantee this will be a less stressful process than trying to lubricate a stuck valve as your basement fills up with water!

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What You Need To Know When Hiring An Emergency Plumber

What You Need To Know When Hiring An Emergency Plumber | London Plumbing | London Ontario Plumber

What’s a plumbing emergency?

Obviously it’s not an emergency plumbing situation if you’re looking for a new plumbing fixture installation. Even if you need to get it finished by the end of the day because you have company coming over tomorrow and your plumber just canceled on you. I know it’s stressful, but it’s not a plumbing emergency.

If you start to get a leak in your plumbing you might panic and freak out. It’s scary when something you aren’t used to dealing with hits you in the face like that. And if it happens at a horrible time, like when you have company over or that special someone you’ve been trying to impress just texted you to say they’re five minutes away, it can be even worse.

Your instinct is probably going to tell you to call an emergency plumber. It’s an emergency, right? Well maybe not.

We’ve talked about your emergency water shut-off valve before, so if you haven’t read that article do yourself a favour and check it out. It’s got a lot of good stuff in it.

But if it REALLY is an emergency, here’s what you should keep in mind with an emergency plumber.

Response Time

When it comes to a plumbing emergency, every minute can count. If your basement is filling up with water and you can’t shut it off, you need someone there RIGHT NOW.

The longer it takes for your plumber to arrive, the worse the damage can get. That’s why it’s important to have an emergency plumber who will actually show up when you call them.

Here at London Plumbing, we strive to be there as soon as humanly possible to help you with your plumbing needs. Write our number down and put it on your fridge, so you don’t have to waste time on Google or fumbling through your phone. The few seconds you take to do that now can save you a lot of headaches later!

Service Area

If you’re in a remote area outside the city, we can still help you. But in an emergency situation, we might not be able to get there as quickly as a more local option. Call us anyway though – you’d be surprised at how quickly we can arrive on the scene!

Preparedness

If your plumber doesn’t have their truck stocked and ready with everything needed to fix any plumbing problems, you’re going to have a bad time. Any plumber worth their salt should be prepared at any time.

Look, if someone shows up without the tools they need to do the job, they’ll have to make a trip to find what it is they need. Meanwhile, you’re standing at home with water spraying all over the place, stressed out that you called this person who doesn’t know what they’re doing.

Emergency plumbing is serious business. If someone isn’t prepared to deal with emergencies, they shouldn’t put themselves out there as emergency plumbers.

Contact London Plumbing

Here at London Plumbing, we strive to get there as quickly as humanly possible, short of breaking the law or jumping out of a helicopter like a SWAT team. Give us a call for all your emergency plumbing needs – we’re happy to help!