Billy Gafford, manager of Handyman Connection based in Birmingham, Alabama, is an experienced professional handyman who has seen his fair share of plumbing emergencies. Here he outlines what to do in case of an emergency and gives tips on how to prevent them in the first place.
The most important bit of information to have in a plumbing emergency is the location of your home’s water shutoff valve. So make sure that everyone in your family is aware of it. In case of a leak, overflow or other plumbing problem, you’ll be able to turn off your water supply on your own.
In most residences, the water shutoff valve will be in the basement or outside by the hose faucet in the front of your house. It will have a pipe leading to it from the ground and the water meter will be attached to it at the other end. In addition, most major appliances that use water will have individual shutoff valves, usually located behind the appliance, and fixtures like toilets and sinks will also have separate shutoff valves, usually below or behind the fixture. Shutoff valves are closed by turning clockwise.
If you close your main shutoff valve, you’ll also need to turn off the power supply to your water heater, as not doing so can harm to its heating elements and anyone who opens a faucet while the water supply is turned off.
Here’s how to handle a few common plumbing emergencies:
Toilet Overflow
If your toilet is overflowing, you can stop the flow of water immediately by opening the toilet tank and pushing the stopper into the drain at the bottom. If it doesn’t stay in this position, hold it there until the tank stops filling up with water—the water pressure will help keep the stopper in place. If that doesn’t work, close the toilet’s individual shutoff valve. Afterwards, clean out the clog with a plunger. Don’t try to use a snake, as you might damage your fixtures if you don’t know how to use one.
Lost Item in Drain
If you lost a contact lens, ring or other item down the sink drain, don’t worry—you can still retrieve it in most cases, and you can do so on your own with just a bucket and a wrench! Underneath your sink will be a section of piping that slopes down and then back up, and this section, called the pea trap, is designed to trap items that fall down the drain. You can remove the pea trap by unscrewing the nuts on both ends of the pea trap. When you put the pea trap back in place, run the faucet and make sure there are no leaks, otherwise you will have water damage and allow sewer gasses to enter your home.
Leaking Pipe
If you notice a leak in your home, place a bucket underneath it to minimize water damage, and then close the water shutoff valve, or vice versa depending on the size of the leak. You’ll possibly have to reinstall or replace that section of piping. But if you need an immediate fix and the leak is small enough, you can plug it with the tip of a pencil, break it off and then wrap the pipe in electrical tape. Obviously, this is only meant to be a temporary solution, and if you use it, you should keep an eye on the faulty piping to make sure it doesn’t start leaking again. Keep in mind that a leaking pipe might not always be visible to the naked eye; one warning sign is mold and mildew.
