No matter what age you are, whether you’re celebrating the golden anniversary this year or you just graduated high school, you probably watched cartoons at some point. They’ve always been fun and entertaining for kids, even in the Steamboat Willy era. But cartoons also have a habit of showing us less-than-realistic depictions of some real-life things, especially plumbing events.
A gushing water leak or a cartoonishly large wrench are usually the things people think about when they imagine an emergency plumbing situation. These aren’t realistic depictions of what your plumbing emergency might actually look like. Frozen pipes or a sewer clog could be a plumbing emergency, but you’ve likely never seen that on TV or in the movies!
Let’s talk about how you can better tell if you need emergency plumbing in Cedar Rapids, IA, or if you can wait a few days to schedule a normal appointment.
Three Distinct Emergency Situations
In order to paint a clear picture of what an emergency plumbing situation is, we need to talk about a few scenarios. Here are three situations that are absolutely plumbing emergencies. We recommend getting in touch with a professional ASAP if you’re encountering any of them.
1. A Frozen Pipe
Frozen pipes are particularly nasty problems, mostly because of what they can turn into. If temperatures get too cold around some of your exterior pipes, the water inside could freeze. When water freezes it expands, causing the pipe that’s containing it to rupture and burst. This is why frozen pipes are so bad.
You might not even know you have frozen pipes until they start to thaw. When that happens, the ruptured pipe will leak profusely and can cause issues when you least expect them. This is a plumbing emergency.
2. A Sewer Clog or Contamination Problem
Do all of the drains seem clogged on your home’s first floor? This is usually a sign that your sewer is clogged and that could end up being an emergency due to contamination.
Sometimes, if there’s a particularly bad build-up in your sewer, stagnant or dirty water can get pushed back up through the pipes into the drains that are lowest to the ground. This can cause a potential health hazard so make sure you contact a professional to tell them about your situation.
3. A Bad Water Leak
Yes, in some cases, those cartoons we were talking about earlier are right. A gushing water leak can still happen and it’s not pretty. Even a spraying water leak is a bad sign and usually requires emergency support.
Firstly, you’ll want to shut off your home’s access to water. This will stop the leak from continuing while you do the following two things–call for an emergency plumber and start cleaning up.
A plumber will be able to address the leak, get it fixed, and allow your home to have access to water again. Cleaning up is also important since any stagnant water in your home can damage wooden furniture and cause mold to grow if you’re not careful.
At Dalton Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric and Fireplaces, Inc., your comfort is our promise! To set up an appointment in the Cedar Rapids area, give us a call at the number above, email customerservice@daltonphc.com or schedule an appointment online.