What is a Plumbing Emergency?

How do you differentiate what is a plumbing emergency and what isn't? Most of the time the answer is quite obvious but other times an issue may be larger than you think.

Our plumber explains some common problems that can become plumbing emergencies plus some simple steps you can do if they occur in your home.

Common Plumbing Emergencies

I can smell Gas

Leaking gas is extremely dangerous and can cause carbon monoxide poisoning in a very short time. If you think you can smell gas or suspect that a pipe is leaking gas make sure you turn the gas off at your home's main gas valve immediately, open all the doors and windows to allow fresh air into your home, and call a plumber as soon as possible.

Gas is extremely flammable and can cause asphyxiation in confined spaces. Never use electrical equipment, lights, matches, lighters or any type of naked flame around a possible gas leak.

My Water is leaking

First of all try and shut off your water supply either from the source and if that's not possible, via your mains. Water leaking, regardless of the actual culprit can cause major problems and be significantly costly if you don’t get the issue rectified as soon as possible. Water leaks can be caused by many things including tap washers failing, damaged and worn seals, tank corrosion, cracked drains and even a dodgy washing machine.

A trickle can very quickly become a torrent so turn the mains tap off as soon as you can and get in contact with an emergency plumber to fix aleaking tap and avoid damage to your home and excessive water wastage.

My drains are blocked

While water can still dissipate down a semi blocked drain, a complete blockage will cause you a world of pain and could flood any part of your house and property the pipe involved covers.

Burst pipes

Water from a burst pipe can very quickly damage flooring, walls and cabinets. Many things can cause a pipe to rupture including age, accidental impact, faulty workmanship or low-quality plumbing fixtures.

If you discover a blown pipe at home turn the water off at the mains tap (usually located next to your meter) as soon as possible and call a plumber. The pipe will need to be repaired before the water can be restored to your home.

I have no hot water

No hot water for a day is manageable in the middle of summer but once the weather cools down hot water becomes a necessity. The cause of your lack of hot water could be any number of things.

Check the hot water systems power supply. (Is there gas or electricity to the rest of the house? A basic point but worth checking before you call the plumber.) And contact your plumber.

Clogged Toilets

If you are unable to Flush your toilet and are unable to use another then this could be a plumbing emergency, ensure your toilet doesn’t get used a reflushed as this could cause it to overfill and escape onto the floor.

Non Plumbing Emergencies

Generally if you think the problem can wait and it's not something on out list above then it's generally not a plumbing emergency. If you are not sure, it's worth calling your plumber anyway. They can offer advice on what to do in all of these situations and can talk you through measures to keep things going (or not) until business hours if it's not urgent.