Taking care of the plumbing system in your home is a lot of work, but what’s even more important is knowing how to spot a plumbing emergency and what to do to remedy it. One of the most important things you can do is prevent plumbing emergencies from causing too much damage in your Cleveland, TN, home, which means acting fast when there’s a major problem. If you want to make sure your next plumbing problem isn’t a major one that causes thousands of dollars in damage, we’ve got all the info you need about when it’s time to call an emergency plumber.

Water Damage

One of the primary reasons you may need to call an emergency plumber in Cleveland, TN, is when there’s the potential for water damage in your home. While this isn’t a problem with slow leaks or plumbing problems that don’t involve leaks, lots of water leaking from a pipe or fixture can cause serious structural damage.

If you have a plumbing problem in your home that has the potential to cause a lot of water damage, you should shut your water off and call an emergency plumber right away. The faster you call a plumber to take care of the leak in your home, the smaller the leak will be and the less structural damage you’ll have to deal with.

When you do notice a leak in your home, knowing how to shut off the water is the best way to prevent serious problems. If you aren’t currently aware of where your home’s main water shutoff valve is, make sure you locate it before there’s an emergency. For a lot of homes, the main shutoff valve is located near the water heater where the water main is.

Standing Water

Most people don’t think of the potential dangers associated with plumbing, but there are some jobs that can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. As a matter of fact, one of the most dangerous things you can deal with in the plumbing world is standing water.

The first thing that makes standing water so dangerous to deal with is the fact that it can be electrically charged if it’s touching outlets or wires. Because of this, it’s a good idea to call an emergency plumber if you’ve got standing water in your home. Not only does an emergency plumber have the proper tools and knowledge to safely remove water from your home and fix leaks, they can also shut the power off before doing so.

Another thing you have to worry about if you’ve got standing water in your Cleveland, TN, home is the fact that you never know what exactly is in that standing water. Sure, some water is fairly clean, but that depends largely on where the water is coming from. Not only that, you also never know what it’s going to pick up along the way.

Sewage

Arguably the most dangerous thing to deal with if you’re not an experienced plumber is sewage. Although it may seem obvious that you shouldn’t deal with sewage if you don’t know what you’re doing, that doesn’t stop a lot of homeowners from doing it anyway.

There are a lot of different ways that sewage can get into your Cleveland, TN, home, but the bottom line is you need to call an emergency plumber if it ever happens. Sewage is filled with harmful gases that can cause a range of health problems for people who are exposed to them, so it requires specialized equipment to clean up.

Even if you aren’t completely sure you have a sewage backup in your home but you suspect that’s what it may be, it’s a good idea to call an emergency plumber just to be safe. Standing water in your home can also be dangerous to deal with, so it’s a good idea to have a qualified professional take care of it either way. Another thing you have to keep in mind is that you can’t simply remove sewage from your home and it’s good to go; you also have to clean and disinfect the areas that were in contact with the sewage.

Sump Pump Problems

This certainly doesn’t apply to everybody, but if you rely on your sump pump to prevent flooding in your home or keep your yard properly drained, you may need to call an emergency plumber when it stops working. One important thing to keep in mind is that this is highly dependent on how vital your sump pump is to your home.

If you have a sump pump in your basement, you should test it on a regular basis to make sure it’s still working. Sump pumps are your home’s last line of defense against flooding when water pools up in your basement, so the last thing you want is to find out your sump pump doesn’t work when you need it most.

The good news about sump pump problems is that an emergency plumber can get them fixed pretty quickly. Sump pumps have a handful of parts that often need to be replaced, so you don’t even have to purchase an entirely new pump unless yours has a problem that can’t be fixed.

Pick Up the Phone

If you ever have a plumbing emergency in your Cleveland, TN, home, the first thing you need to do is pick up the phone and call a professional who can help. When it comes to major leaks and flooding, time is of the essence.

The good news is, you can make sure you’re prepared for whatever plumbing problems may come your way thanks to Metro Plumbing, Heating and Air. Having a good emergency plumber on call is important, and our team does some of the best work around. If you’ve got a plumbing emergency you need fixed in a jiffy, give Metro Plumbing, Heating and Air a call at (423) 616-1025 today.