If you experience a plumbing emergency in your Northern New Jersey home, the trick is to stay calm and deal with the situation swiftly. You don’t want a small problem to escalate to a much larger one, or you could be looking at a much higher cost in getting it fixed. Here are 5 common emergencies and how to deal with them:

Burst pipe — When a pipe bursts, the damage can be quite extensive. Each member of your family must be aware of the location of the main water supply’s shutoff valve. So, if a burst pipe does occur, you can stop the water from continuing to flow until a professional technician arrives.

Clogged toilet – You can typically prevent this from happening by making sure you don’t try to flush things that aren’t flushable (even soft items like paper towels). If you do experience a problem, always have a plunger, snake (auger), and professional-grade unclogging product on hand.

Water heater leaks — If your water heater leaks, you can quickly have a big problem on your hands. To lessen the damage, you need to act quickly by shutting off the main water valve. Depending on the severity of the leak, you may need to purchase a new unit.

Clogged sink — Most of the time, this kind of problem can be fixed with professional products and/or a snake. Preventing these types of clogs will depend on their location. A bathroom sink will often become clogged because of hair that builds up. In the kitchen, food that doesn’t get properly chopped down by the garbage disposal can lead to a problem.

Leaking faucets — Although a leak might not seem like such a big deal, each small drip of water is money that you’re throwing away. If you don’t have the know-how or confidence to fix this yourself, call on the help of a professional.

For more expert advice on how to handle plumbing emergencies, please don’t hesitate to contact the great technicians at Pipe Works Services We’ve been servicing the needs of Northern New Jersey since 2000. Our goal is to help educate our customers in Chatham, NJ, and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about plumbing emergencies and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide. Image courtesy of Shutterstock

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