Regardless of where you live there is likely to be a time when you find yourself facing a plumbing emergency. The most common issue is a joint which has gone bad or a pipe which has burst in freezing weather. There are, of course, other potential causes but the result will be the same; water coming into your home where it should not be.

The first thing you may wish to do is contact your emergency plumbing firm and ask them to assist you as quickly as possible. You may even need to contact your insurance company! However, before you even contact a reputable emergency plumbing firm such as Smile Heating & Cooling; there are a few things which you should do:

Plan

The first thing to do should be done now! You need to know where all the water valves are in your home and even where the main supply valve is outside your home. You should then log these on an easily accessible plan. This will ensure that if you do have a leaking pipe you will know which the best valve is to turn off and can do so quickly. This is essential to avoid your home becoming flooded. Only after you have done this can you consider calling the emergency plumbing firm or look at repairing the damage yourself.

The Issue

Once you have isolated the supply and chosen not to use an emergency plumbing service you will need to locate the leak; if you have not already done so. A split pipe will need to be replaced and you will have to decide whether to replace one section or to just repair the broken bit. This decision may be taken for you if you are only able to access part of the pipe.

If the issue is a joint it will need to be replaced, the process for this will depend upon the type of joint used.

The Fix

It is relatively easy to cut a section of pipe out of your existing piece. Before you do this you must be confident that you know the diameter of the pipe. You will then be able to visit your local hardware store and acquire a push fit connector. This will slide onto metal or plastic pipes; providing you have pushed the pipe in far enough the seal will be effective immediately. It is important to ensure any cuts you make in your existing pipes are straight and do not have any jagged edges

If you find it is a joint which has blown them you will need to assess the type. Compression joints may be tightened to solve the issue, soldered ones will need replacing and a plastic or push fit one is likely to be damaged and need replacing. Replacing most of these joints is fairly straightforward; however, soldered joints will need to be cut out and you will then find the pipes are not long enough to fit into a compression or push fit joint. There may be enough play in the pipes or you may need to look at adding in a connecting piece and a little extra piece of pipe.