What To Do Until Schuler Plumbing’s 24 Hour Plumber Arrives

Whether it’s the middle of the night or another challenging time, even a minor plumbing issue can quickly turn into a disaster. You might need to act as you wait for Schuler Plumbing, LLC’s emergency plumbing service to arrive. The following tips are not an alternative to calling us. They are solid, common-sense advice to stay safe and minimize damage while we quickly drive to your home.

Plumbing First Aid Kit

Our 24 hour plumber recommends you maintain a plumbing first aid kit, so you will have various short-term emergency plumbing solutions on hand as you wait for our emergency plumbing service to arrive.

A five-gallon bucket is a multi-tasking superstar to hold your emergency plumbing kit and catch leaking water.

Paper towels and rags can also dry up any leaked water.

If you want to tape a broken pipe, please use Teflon tape for leaks at threaded connections. Duct tape is OK for small breaks in other areas.

Plungers can help you unclog minor clogs. Sink plungers and toilet plungers aren’t interchangeable, so get at least one of each.

Wire coat hangers can help loosen clogs and perform a variety of repair tasks.

Some of our customers also invest in an adjustable wrench, slip-joint pliers, hex keys, and a multi-bit screwdriver. These are useful if you want to perform your own minor repairs.

Burst Pipe

A burst pipe can quickly cause flooding and property damage. While taping a pipe with duct or Teflon tape is one of the more convenient emergency plumbing solutions. When you want to repair your burst pipe, you need to turn off your water and call our emergency plumbing service.

First, turn off your home’s water supply. Once you’ve turned off your house’s water, turn on the cold water at every faucet and flush all toilets to drain the cold water.

To drain the hot water, first, turn off your water heater. Then, please turn on your hot water taps to drain them. These steps stop water from leaking from your burst pipe as you wait for our 24 hour plumber.

Rising Water in a Clogged Toilet

If a toilet clogs, put safety first as you attempt emergency plumbing solutions. Make sure that any electrical appliances near the toilet are unplugged. Bring in rags or paper towels to soak up any excess water.

Once you’ve made the area safe, bend a wire coat hanger into a crescent or hook shape that will fit down into the outlet or hole at the bottom of your toilet bowl. Under this hole is your toilet’s trap. This trap holds sewer gases and standing water, so they don’t pollute your home. It is also where most toilet clogs occur.

Use your bent hanger to loosen any blockage in the toilet trap. After you’ve reduced as much of the blockage as possible, use a forced cup plunger to unclog the toilet completely. If you get your toilet unclogged, clean it and the area surrounding your toilet with a bleach-based cleanser. If your toilet won’t clear or the water doesn’t stop running, give our experienced emergency plumbing service team a call for help.

Clogged Kitchen Sink Garbage Disposal Unit

While we typically recommend seeking our 24 hour plumber services, clogged kitchen sinks and garbage disposals are two problems homeowners can often fix on their own if they are minor.

Since safety is your top priority, always cut the power to your garbage disposal before working on it. Most units have a switch you can turn off. A second safety concern is guarding your hands. Always keep them outside of the disposal.

When you’re ready to attempt unclogging your sink disposal unit, take the following actions:

  • Clear any food scraps from the disposal with tongs or a cooking spoon handle.
  • Cover one sink drain with a plunger.
  • Use a second plunger to plunge the drain.
  • Run hot water down the drain.
  • Turn the disposal power on and run cold water down the drain to ensure it is operating properly.

If your garbage disposal remains clogged, don’t panic. Call our team at Schuler Plumbing, LLC for fast, courteous emergency plumbing solutions you can trust.