When was the last time you scheduled a plumbing leak or a clogged drain into your weekly planner? Probably never, right? Most homeowners don’t anticipate running into this type of trouble and unfortunately not all plumbers can be at your house instantly. See below to find out what you can do before a plumber comes in to save the day:
Small Leak
Hammering a nail into the wall to hang a picture or a shelf? It can be difficult to locate pipes behind the wall so homeowners often find themselves puncturing a hole in the plumbing. What can you do if you miss the mark? If you can locate the hole in the pipe, you can temporarily stop the leak by driving a self-tapping screw into it through a rubber washer.
Backed-Up Drain
Here’s one homeowners see all the time – the notorious clogged drain or toilet. The first step should be to try a plunger. If that doesn’t work you may need to upgrade to a toilet auger or drain snake and if you still don’t get it to go down, call in a plumber.
Leaky Toilet
You can test to see if you toilet’s tank is leaking by placing a few drops of food coloring in there. If you noticed colored water in the bowl, you have a leak. Notice water collecting at the base? It could mean that the seal underneath has failed. Try turning the bolts a bit tighter, just take it slow to make sure you don’t crack the porcelain.
Trying a few of these simple solutions will hopefully keep you out of trouble until a plumber arrives. At Uptown Plumbing, our goal is to get to you as quickly possible whenever an emergency arises. Give us a call at (612) 324-1004 and our expert plumbers will be over shortly.
