Imagine a scenario in which you wake up from your peaceful sleep to water running when it shouldn’t. When this incident happens you’re likely going to be on the phone, straight away to a 24 hours emergency plumbing service to get anyone to your home to repair the leak.
Though, leaks are quite common. Particularly, in the winter when icy water in the pipes can result in cracking. Also, it can even burst pipes. Regardless, what if they can’t reach your place for a couple of hours or until the next morning? What do you do then? We will tell you! Below we have written down some helpful tips to stop the leak until a repair person can fix up your pipe.
Some Considerations
Before attempting to fix any leak yourself. There are a few aspects you need to keep in mind. Understanding these could save you from any plumbing accident.
- Know where your home’s main water cutoff valve is so that if anything goes wrong, you can immediately cut the water off until plumbers arrive.
- There are certain devices you can attach to the plumbing system. It will alert you when massive amounts of water are being utilized. Also, these will even turn the water valve off for you if very huge leaks occur.
- You can put individual cutoff valves around your house to separate some areas. By doing so, you don’t need to turn off the water to the entire house.
- You will need to assess the size of the leak. If it’s too big just call a plumber.
Turn Off The Main Water Valve
It is the most obvious, but you probably do not think of it when there’s plenty of water leaking into your house. If feasible, cut off the main water valve. While it means you will not be able to utilize other fixtures, you may be able to prevent any more damage, particularly if it’s a huge leak. So it is clear you need to call a water heater repair or replacement service provider.
Drain The Remaining Water
When you know the valves have been cut off, you will require to turn on the connecting fixtures to drain out any water sitting in there.
Clear Out The Area
Now when the water supply has been switched off and the leak has been stopped temporarily. Utilize this time to clear up the immediate spot of the incident. First, wipe it off and dry the leaky pipe itself. Also, wipe off and dry surrounding fixtures and cabinets, mop up the floor. Then, eliminate any surrounding things to save them from getting damaged.
Use Pipe Wraps
Pipe wraps are a type of solution and are easily available for many people because most local hardware shops keep this product for this specific situation.
It is much like epoxy. Pipe wraps will stiffen to patch a leak or hole when you properly put it into place. Plus, it is good to know that pipe wraps can be utilized anywhere along with your piping system. Moreover, they are not particularly meant for a specific type of leak.
Use Epoxy
Epoxy is an extremely strong adhesive. It can help you in stopping a leak. You should keep a plumber’s epoxy in your repair kit. Particularly if you don’t possess a pipe wrap, is always a helpful idea. To use epoxy, just turn off the water and mop to clean the area on the pipe around the leak. Now, blend the two-part epoxy and apply it to the spot.
Also, if you possess a plumber’s tape in your home, you can cover that on top of the epoxy for adequate measure. It can take up to a full day for the epoxy to fully treat. Therefore, it’s a nice idea to keep the water off for some time only to ensure the glue is fully dried and the water doesn’t leak around it.
C-clamp And Block
A small block of wood and a c-clamp can be utilized to halt a minor leak. You need to put a small rubber over the leak, to begin with. Then a small strip of wood or block is put on that. The c-clamp is used to keep it all in place. The block of wood saves the duct from the pressure of the clamp.
Utilize Rubber Pipe Connectors
This remedy is the most suitable for leaks that happen in the middle or around joints water piping. While this remedy will do the task of closing off a leak so that you can utilize your household’s appliances like you commonly would. Though, its application is a little tougher for the normal person. Therefore, you’ll need to do some research to ensure you hire the connectors correctly.
Buy Some Plumbing Repair Tape
Just like pipe draping, plumbing repair service tape is an immediate fix to fix up a leak before your plumber comes. In this case, you need to drape plumbing tape around the pipe to build a makeshift seal by integrating everything. This solution will just protect it for a few days though. Therefore, make sure you hire a plumber before you face an emergency again at the end of this short duration of safety.
Conclusion
The crucial part to keep in mind is that whenever you undergo a leakage, you need to fix it as soon as you can! Whatever possibility you go for of the ones mentioned above should do the work in protecting your plumbing system. Also, it is important to do any remedy to keep your home safe until an expert can come out and solve the problem permanently.
Besides, it is important to know that you should not rely on your quick remedy for a longer period. If you do so, it could end up costing a lot more money than the cost to replace or repair your pipes! Keep in mind that these solutions are just short solutions and you require to reach out to a professional plumber to fix up the leak permanently. Consequently, it doesn’t result in additional damage to your house in the longer run.
