Advanced Sewer & Drain Cleaning has been in WNY homes helping to solve emergency plumbing issues since the 1950s, and we continue to serve the community every day. Many plumbing emergencies can be prevented with proactive measures, but accidents and emergencies DO HAPPEN. Today on the blog, we wanted to help homeowners understand a few tools they can keep nearby to help hold down the fort until a professional emergency plumber arrives.
We want to be clear that the following emergency plumbing kit will certainly help you handle smaller issues like tightening a connection or unclogging a drain, but if you can’t seem to solve the issue, it’s certainly a good idea to stop and call a professional Buffalo plumber like us. We have experience and special plumbing tools that can help solve any plumbing issue you face.
Trying to fix an emergency plumbing issue on your own could spell disaster like flooding and water damage, so you don’t want to get too crazy when it comes to plumbing repair. There are plenty of YouTube videos that can make someone feel like a master plumber with a few minutes of education, but ultimately, you will want to call us if you have any inkling of an issue beyond your scope of plumbing experience. Remember that if you cause an issue like water damage or sewage backups, you run the risk of spending more money than you may have in the first place!
Here are a few key plumbing tools to keep in your home in case of a plumbing emergency.
A Good Bucket
It may be self-explanatory, but it’s important to have a good bucket handy for any plumbing issue. You can store most of the rest of your plumbing repair items right in your handy-dandy plumbing bucket. Any minor repair will typically require you to trap any water that’s still in the piping. You’ll want a nice 3-gallon bucket, but anything bigger may not fit under the sink.
A Good Flashlight (Other than your phone)
It’s great that our smartphones have flashlights in them nowadays, but you may be needing that phone to call and/or record the situation, so have a real old-fashioned flashlight or other light source handy. Pipes are often found in dimly lit places and so are sump pumps and water heaters. If you need to do some inspecting, you’re going to want a good light handy.
A Well-Functioning Plunger
Not all plungers are created equal. Does your plunger work? Have you ever used it? Do you even know where it is? If you’re used to having plumbing problems, you probably have one handy, but if you’re a new homeowner or you’ve never had a clog in your house, you may not know where it is. You should always have a plunger handy to help prevent a backed-up toilet or clog. There are smaller plungers for sinks and larger plungers for toilets, so make sure you’ve got a good one just in case.
A Pipe Wrench
A pipe wrench is a great tool to keep in your plumbing kit because it helps when you need to tighten or loosen threaded pipes. It helps to grip and turn with serrated jaws, but if you get one that’s too big it may not fit in small places, so opt for a smaller or medium-sized pipe wrench for your plumbing kit.
A Crescent Wrench
Just like the pipe wrench, you’ll want to have a small to medium-sized crescent wrench so you can get into smaller or harder to reach areas like under a sink. The crescent wrench is a must-have tool for any emergency plumbing kit. This wrench is adjustable based on what specific size of pipe fitting you need to tighten or loosen.
Some Teflon Tape
If you plan on connecting any new plumbing fixtures, you’re going to have to consider having some Teflon tape on hand. It’s used to cover the threaded connection to aim to create a waterproof seal. You’ll want to remove any existing remnants of any tape on a previously assembled pipe connection. If doing any repairs, you’ll need to replace the removed tape to ensure a solid connection, or it may leak.
Some Good Waterproof Gloves
Plumbing can get slippery and gross. Whether you’re trying to fix a slight leak in your basement or trying to pull a dinosaur out of your toilet, it’s not a bad idea to have a good set of plumbing gloves in your kit. Waterproof gloves will keep your hands safe and dry from foreign liquids, but also provide a solid grip on any piping you need to repair. This helps when trying to create a silid connection between two pipes.
Handling a Plumbing Emergency in Your WNY Home.
One of the most important things you can do in a plumbing emergency is know how to shut off the water supply to the area in question. Acting quickly can help prevent further water damage. In the event there is no specific individual shut off, you may need to look at shutting off the main water supply valve. Once it’s turned off, you can assess the situation and then call a professional plumber.
If you need a hand with your plumbing, sump pump, sewer or drains, remember to call Advanced Sewer & Drain. We are here for customers in Kenmore, Tonawanda, Cheektowaga, Williamsville, Buffalo & More. We will get a tech out ASAP to assess and evaluate the situation, explain what’s going on, and solve the problem so you can continue to enjoy your home safely.
