Tinder Creeps

Imagine this, it is a quiet Saturday afternoon. You’re sitting next to a book and a cup of tea when from the depths of the basement comes a sickly gurgle. For some reason, you shrug it off at first: maybe the ghosts of pipes past are just making noise. However, it is there and it is louder this time. I wake up next thing I know, you’re ankle deep in water and panic rising faster than the tide. We now welcome you into the wild world of plumbing emergencies. Read more now on plumbing emergency repair

A surprise indoor pool does not leave many experiences with nightmares. A flash flood inside of your home elevates your blood pressure by rocketing sky high. But you first mantra, on one level, is: Don’t lose your (stuffing) cool. Now, more than ever, you are exactly the moment to call on your inner dexterity, plumbing repairs can feel like a hero moment after all. So, whether it’s a sudden tantrum from a water heater or pipes a bit too party ready, keep calm … it helps more than you’d think.

So, what’s your first step? Yes, turn off the main water valve. That’s always a sensible thing to do, as it’s the equivalent of cutting the power in a monster movie. As such, it’s the first action that stops things from going down a downward spiral of even worse. That said, getting your panic to give up enough to identify the main valve can be like finding a needle in a haystack, especially if your panic has dulled your memory. Time for detective mode. Often near your water meter, Scout around some obscure corner of the basement.

With the flood abated, your next call isn’t to your baking bestie or to your DIY handyman friend. Reach out to professionals. Sure you are calling experts is a futile route for CASH, but this is not a time for tight funding. Your professional plumbers are your knights in soggy armor. They’ve seen it all from taps sprayer spontaneously like a busted fire hydrant to clogs causing irreversible havoc.

Important as well is taking stock of what happened. It was that old, leaky faucet you’ve had your eye on, or the kitchen sink that let its grand heave after last night’s epic feast? Half the battle could be won by it. The most catastrophic plumbing antics are usually caused by the smallest annoyances that go unchecked. But oh, the stories pipes could tell were there only they could speak!

Meanwhile, rescue your possessions! Don’t drown your grandmother’s quilt or that Persian rug. Elevate belongings up high while waiting for help; this high ground is your friend. Good humor helps too. Familiarize yourself with the possibility that in twenty years, this will be a funny family story: the living room became a wading pool.

Unless you’ve managed to live as a hermit, you have no doubt been left with a messy ass neck. Did you get more sludge than a bog in your living room now? It will require elbow grease and possibly a little guidance from a cleaning professional crew in order to clean up. Air it out, sanitize and dry things out. Nothing but horror stories should be associated with mold; it does not belong in your carpet. Between humidity and dampness the right ambiance for an uninvited fungal fiesta has been created!

The first half of any emergency saga is being prepared. Build a plumbing first-aid toolkit. A pipe wrench, duct tape, a plunger and a spirit of adventure will have you far. Learn a few how to’s online before disaster (it will) happen. I can only thank past-you for the foresight. Routines checks of your home’s pipes may not be fancy, but they’re necessary. You know that changing the batteries in your smoke detector is not thrilling, but can save oodles in stress if you forget.

It ends up that your sanctity and sanity in plumbing drama hinge upon dispatch and whom you crying for backup. Therefore, next time your pipes are keen to reenact ‘Titanic’, you’d be ready. The splash tells a tale, the gurgle a hint—remember, remind yourselves, every day a gurgle and a splash, laugh out loud because it’s all a crazy event filled with spontaneous waterworks.