Whether you’re in the middle of a plumbing emergency or simply want to be prepared ahead of time, our team of plumbing experts has created this emergency plumbing self-help guide for our Redwood City customers. When you need services for emergency plumbing Redwood City residents like you can count on to quickly respond 24 hours a day, remember the tips in this guide to help steer you through the plumbing crisis as smoothly as possible.
If you’re in the middle of a plumbing emergency, call us immediately at (650) 583-3311 and we’ll send someone over to help you do damage control and get things fixed immediately. While we’re on the way, you can study the below guide.
Step 1: Use the Main Water Shutoff Valve to Stop the Damage
Shutting off the water to the entire house will help prevent water from flooding uncontrolled. It’s important to know ahead of time where the shutoff valve is for situations like this.
The main water shutoff valve is typically located either in your home’s basement or along a wall on your property in a utility area. After you’ve located the valve, you’ll want to turn it clockwise to shut off water to the entire home. While there may also be shutoff valves for other fixtures or appliances that are causing leaking, shutting off the main water valve is more of a guarantee to stop the flow of water to the problem area.
As explained in the next step, after you shut off the main water, it’s important to turn off the hot water heater to make sure it doesn’t overheat or swell and crack due to pressure.
Step 2: Turn Off the Hot Water Heater
Whether you shut off the main water valve or your plumbing emergency is related to a malfunction with the hot water heater, it’s important to know how to turn it off safely – especially if you need to drain the water and want to avoid scalding or electrocution.
You can turn off the water heater by disabling the gas or electricity flowing to the unit.
For electric water heaters, find the circuit breaker for the water heater and set the switch to “OFF”. For gas water heaters, twist the dial at the top of the thermostat to the “OFF” position.
Step 3: Gather Some Basic Damage Control Supplies
Grab a bucket, some rags and duct tape if you have them handy – you may need to do temporary damage control. Buckets and rags can help collect and soak water and move it away from the problem area. Duct tape can help do some temporary patching, and can hold rags in place around pipes.
Step 4: Call an Emergency Plumbing Expert
The fastest, most efficient way to have your plumbing emergency fully resolved is to have a trustworthy emergency plumbing expert like Performance Plumbing head over to fix things up. Give us a call at (650) 583-3311 and we’ll send a friendly plumbing expert over immediately, 24 hours a day to help take the weight off your shoulders and make your plumbing problems disappear.