What Constitutes a Plumbing Emergency?
Nothing spooks a homeowner quite like the gurgling sound of a slowly rising toilet full of murky evil or the sudden rush of hissing water when a kitchen pipe bursts unexpectedly. Those living nightmares are compounded during the weekend or when it’s late at night, when many plumbers have closed shop and turned in for the evening. Luring them out of their homes to solve a problem at yours can be extremely expensive, as most other plumbers charge exorbitant fees for overtime, holiday, weekend, or late-night service calls.
But does your nightmare scenario with the pipes constitute a plumbing emergency? As a homeowner, it’s important for you to know what common plumbing issues require emergency plumbing repair and which aren’t urgent plumber problems: When do you need to find an emergency plumber and when do you need to seek regular repairs? Here, we’ll break down the serious and not-so-serious common plumbing problems you might encounter.
Instances of Emergency Plumbing Repairs
Plumbing issues feel like emergencies, even when they’re not. Slowly leaking pipes or clogged drains are inconveniences, but many minor plumbing problems do not actually need emergency, right-this-moment repairs. It’s good to know the difference between emergency-level distinction and common, less-severe issues so you don’t overspend for unnecessary late-night visits from your chosen plumbing professionals.
Perhaps the most pressing plumbing emergency is one that involves a risk of flooding, such as a backed-up sewer, water shut-off valve breakdowns, a broken sump pump or the aforementioned burst pipe. Any time flooding is involved, don’t hesitate to call an emergency plumber for urgent repair work. Waiting too long is a safety hazard and could jeopardize the structural integrity of walls, cabinets, flooring, fixtures, and everything else in the affected room(s), so you may want to have late-night plumbers or plumber weekend service options on standby.
Sewage is another serious situation that should be handled as quickly as possible by an emergency plumbing repair professional. Untreated sewage represents a major health risk — not to mention an oppressive olfactory offense — so make sure to call on Gainesville Mechanical as soon as you notice a backed-up sewer line. Same goes for instances where you can’t achieve running water, as living conditions deteriorate rapidly when you can’t procure water to bathe, cook, clean, or flush the toilet.
Not-So-Serious Common Plumbing Problems
The last so-called plumbing emergency is one we don’t see all that often in our corner of the United States: frozen pipes. We have some freezing weather, sure, but rarely do temperatures stay frigid long enough to push spigots or pipes to the freezing point here in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. When pipes do freeze, as too many of our homeowner friends in Texas found out in February 2021, water cannot flow through them and cracks can form, which can lead to flooding once everything thaws.
Thankfully, not all plumbing issues have dire consequences if left untreated for a day or two. Maybe your garbage disposal stopped working, or the dishwasher isn’t draining properly. You can rest easy knowing that these types of common plumbing issues likely won’t cause collateral damage and don’t require immediate repair. Call your service provider to schedule a convenient time during normal business hours that works for both parties.
Other common plumbing problems that don’t require you to call late-night plumbers include running toilets, slow-emptying drains, dripping faucets, and low water pressure. If you can live with it, you don’t have to worry about finding an emergency plumber or frantically Googling “do plumbers work on Saturday?”. Inconvenient and annoying, yes. Emergencies? Nah.
The Best Plumber for Every Job
Of course, it’s always best to be proactive rather than reactive. The best protection against plumbing nightmares can be prevention — an ounce of which is worth a pound of cure, last we checked. With Gainesville Mechanical’s industry-leading Customer Assurance Maintenance Plan, you’ll never pay overtime charges, even if disaster strikes at 2:35 a.m. on Christmas morning.
Emergency plumbing repair is never fun and rarely easy. Thankfully, your dedicated team of professionals at Gainesville Mechanical is always a simple phone call away, no matter the day or time. We are here for you 24/7, and through C.A.M.P your emergencies won’t break the bank. When you desperately need an urgent plumber to come to the rescue, Gainesville Mechanical has you covered.
If it’s been too long since you had some regular maintenance on your home’s plumbing system, give Gainesville Mechanical a call or fill out our simple service request contact form. We’ll make sure everything is in optimal working condition and cut common plumbing problems short before they blossom into serious headaches. Our best-in-class customer service and 100% customer satisfaction guarantee are just two reasons why we’re consistently named the Best Plumber in Hall County.
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