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Plumbing Emergencies

In a plumbing emergency, you'll need to stop the flow of water quickly. To do this, you and each member of your family needs to know the location of the shutoff valve for every fixture and appliance, as well as the main shutoff valve for the house, and how they operate.

If the emergency involves a specific fixture or appliance, first look for its shutoff valve and turn it clockwise to shut off the water to that fixture or appliance only.

The valve is usually located underneath a fixture such as a sink or a toilet, or behind an appliance, such as a clothes washer, at the point where the water supply pipe (or pipes) connects to it. 

If the problem is not with a particular fixture or appliance, or if there's no shutoff valve for the fixture or appliance, use the main shutoff valve to turn off the water supply to the entire house.

You'll find the main shutoff valve on the inside or outside of your house where the main water supply pipe enters. In cold climates, look just inside the foundation wall in the basement or crawl space. 

Turn the valve clockwise to shut it off. Professional Tip If you need a wrench to turn the valve, keep one, specially labeled near the valve so it's handy.

If the main shutoff valve itself is defective and needs to be repaired, call your water company; they can send someone out with the special tool that's required to shut off the water at the street before it reaches the valve.

Leaking or Broken Pipe

Turn off the main shutoff valve to prevent water damage.  

Quick Fixes:  Stick a pencil point into the hole and break it off, then wrap the pipe with electrician's tape. Smear some plumber's epoxy repair putty over the tape to make sure it doesn't leak.  Let it set for half an hour and turn the water back on.

Wrap a piece of rubber (like an old inner tube) around the pipe over the hole, and then use a C clamp and small blocks of wood to clamp the rubber wrap tightly in place.

If you have them, hose clamps around the rubber covering the hole could also be used to keep water from leaking. Don't have any old rubber that can act as a repair.
 
Cut a piece of garden hose long enough to cover the hole in the pipe plus two or three inches on each side.

Slice the garden hose lengthwise and position it over the hole in the pipe. Once again, use hose clamps to keep it in place and stop water from leaking.

Then, call one of our plumbing professionals out to determine the cause of the problem and possibly pinpoint where the leak is coming from with our high efficiency water or gas leak detection equipment.

Or you may request for service by applying on-line and save 15% off, or phone us, or email us at info@sugarbearplumbing.com.   Thank You.