Plumbing emergencies like blocked toilets, burst pipes, and gas leaks can happen when you least expect them. We explain the most common issues homeowners face and provide solutions. If you’re experiencing a plumbing emergency, call us right away for assistance.
Typical plumbing emergencies include burst pipes, clogged drains, leaky taps, gas leaks, and malfunctioning hot water systems.
Such emergencies demand swift action to prevent escalating water damage, health risks from mould or gas, and potential flooding.
Burst pipes often result in substantial water damage and typically stem from freezing temperatures, irregular water pressure, obstructions, or corrosion over the years. A mere 10mm breach in a pressurised copper pipe can unleash upwards of 200 litres per hour, causing substantial water damage. Catching them early and taking action to turn the water supply off can happen with attentive maintenance, and is crucial to mitigate damage.
Blocked drains can develop from everyday usage, tree roots, or stubborn clogs of fat, oil and waste. Bathtub and sink drains often get blocked too. While DIY solutions or plungers can do a temporary fix, it’s best to contact professional plumbing expertise to clear drains and address the root cause to prevent repeats.
A gas leak in your pipes poses serious dangers, including the risk of fire, explosion, and carbon monoxide poisoning. Do not delay in shutting down your gas appliances and calling emergency plumbers if you detect a gas smell or suspect issues with lines or fittings. Similarly, leaks from your water heater can progress to water line floods and mould issues, making it essential to call a plumber quickly.
Ultimately, following the adage prevention better than cure is wise when confronting various plumbing situations. But in any emergency situation, prompt action is critical to prevent further damage or health risks. Calling experienced plumbers for urgent repairs, troubleshooting and preventive system checks is highly recommended.
Your toilet can become blocked due to inappropriate materials like toys, wipes, diapers, sanitary items, and other solids being flushed down, leading to stubborn clogs. Low water pressure or malfunctioning flush mechanisms can also lead to overflows.
As a temporary fix for overflowing toilets, Turn off the water at the supply valve behind the toilet or shut off the main supply to stop additional flooding.
To try dislodging a clog, vigorously use a plunger and inspect the pipes while water remains in the bowl. Cup your hand over the overflow drain tube to create suction pressure as you plunge. Avoid continued flushing until the blockage clears.
However, blocked toilets often require you to contact a plumber who can provide drain cleaning equipment to fully unclog, address buildups, and prevent repeat issues. Calling a plumber promptly also reduces water damage from overflows. Teach children not to flush inappropriate items, supervise their toilet use, and consult a plumber if complications continue.
Toilet blockages often occur due to flushing unsuitable materials like wipes, paper towels, toys, cotton swabs, feminine hygiene products, diapers, and excess toilet paper. Over time, these items can accumulate into large masses that clog drains and prevent proper water flow throughout your house.
Grease, fats, oils, hair, and food scraps washed down sinks or tubs can also lead to stubborn drain clogs over time. Tree roots infiltrating and crushing old pipes can lead to more intricate blockages too. Low water flow and pressure enables build ups to gather and create blockages faster.
Implementing preventive measures is key to avoiding issues like blocked drains.
Using drain cleaners regularly and enlisting professionals to service sump pumps or remove tree roots can stave off complications.
Routine inspections by qualified technicians can identify water heater leaks, corrosion, ignition problems, or venting issues early, avoiding severe failures. Preventive maintenance on your hot water heater saves costs and avoids potential costly repairs down the line.
If faced with a blocked toilet, take these steps immediately:
Getting a plumber who can utilise specialised drain cleaning equipment is often required for persistent or recurring toilet clogs. Promptly calling a plumber also minimises bathroom water damage from overflows.
For other plumbing emergencies, shut off water or gas supplies immediately if leaks, damages or health risks could occur. Then, for prompt attention, call your emergency plumbers to prevent escalation into major issues. Stay safe until help arrives.
Burst pipes are considered catastrophic plumbing events due to the significant and rapid water damage they can cause. As pressurised water lines, a small hole in a pipe can spew over 200 litres per hour, rapidly flooding properties.
To keep your pipes in good condition, it’s important to be aware that common causes of burst pipes include excessive water pressure, frozen pipes, worn and corroded pipes, earth movements, and accidental physical damage. Copper pipes installed prior to the 1960's are at very high risk due to material weaknesses and decades of mineral build up.
Preventing burst pipes involves monitoring plumbing systems for signs of leaks, drips or abnormal noises, and addressing minor issues before catastrophic pipe failures occur. Installing pressure relief and temperature regulators in your plumbing system moderates risks too. In very cold weather, take measures to insulate exposed water pipes.
If you detect uncontrolled water gushing from a pipe, immediately shut off the main supply by turning the water valves. Then contact emergency plumbers who can quickly halt the flooding and evaluate the necessary repairs or pipe replacements to prevent recurrence.
There are several key causes and risk factors that contribute to types of plumbing disasters like burst pipes:
To prevent burst pipes, regularly inspect your plumbing for drips, leaks, visible corrosion, and unusual groaning or hammering noises when using water. Monitoring and regulating high water pressure is also crucial. If concerning signs appear, call plumbers to inspect and address risks before catastrophic failures occur.
There are a few key early signs to watch out for that may indicate an impending pipe burst:
Don’t ignore such warning signs. Call a plumber promptly to inspect your plumbing and rectify risks before major pipe failures lead to water damage disasters.
If a pipe bursts, take action as soon as possible by locating the main water shut off valve and turning it clockwise to shut off your water supply to the property. This will stop uncontrolled water flow that worsens flooding damage.
Have family members locate where the pipe has burst, placing buckets underneath to catch water, using towels to stem or divert flow if possible while waiting for the plumber to arrive.
Call Lindfield Plumbing immediately on 1300 349 338 for emergency pipe burst response and repairs. Our team is available 24/7 to ensure burst pipe disasters are addressed promptly.
With over 50 years combined experience, we have the expertise to find the ruptured pipe location, stop water flow, remove water saturation and make structural and plumbing repairs to get your property restored as quickly as possible after a burst disaster.
Clogged drains are among the most common plumbing issues, often caused by accumulation of hair, grease, food scraps, and other debris washing down bathroom or kitchen sinks and tubs over time. Tree roots infiltrating and crushing old drain pipes also lead to stubborn blockages.
Without adequate water flow, drain clogs deteriorate until a sewer backup occurs, preventing wastewater and sewage from properly discharging into the main sewer lines. Backed up drains create very unpleasant odours and flooding, which could result in health hazards from mould concerns or contact with contaminated water.
Prevention involves using drain strainers to catch hair and debris, avoiding oil/grease disposal down drains, and regular use of enzyme cleaners or baking soda mixtures to clear minor buildup. Annually hydro jetting drains is helpful, or call professionals if persistent issues arise.
Our high-powered hydro jetting equipment is crucial for tackling severe sewer clogs or backups, aptly clearing blockages, extracting roots, and ensuring drains are flowing again. We inspect drain pipes and systems to check for cracks or collapses needing repair or full replacement.
For minor water pipe clogs, you can try DIY solutions first before calling a plumber. A mixture of baking soda, vinegar and hot water may help break up some clogs when poured down sinks.
Use a drain snake or plunger to gently dislodge debris. You can also try an enzyme drain cleaner regularly. Use a drain snake or plunger to gently dislodge debris.
However, to tackle severe or recurring clogs such as a clogged toilet, contacting professional plumbers is necessary. This blasts away clogs and clears pipes fully so water can drain freely again.
We use high-powered hydro jetting equipment that can cut through years of accumulated gunk, hair, grease and even tree roots that cause stubborn blockages.
Our jetting equipment is particularly effective at resolving chronic clogs that withstand regular drain snakes. Hydro jetting also cleans the full interior pipe surface to help prevent future buildup. We inspect drainage systems too, flagging damaged sections needing repair.
There are a few key ways to help prevent drain clogs and backups:
Catching debris early, treating with drain cleaners regularly, and having professionals clear pipes annually can help enormously to prevent major clogs and backups happening in the first place.
When a hot water system fails, it causes major inconvenience for households who suddenly lose their supply of heated water for showers, washing, and other cleaning needs. Burst pipes or leaks from water heaters can also cause water damage, which can quickly become severe if left unchecked.
Common plumbing emergencies that can take your hot water systems to fail include:
With continual expansion and contraction of water in the tank over a long time during heating cycles, your water heater may need repairs or full replacements every 8-12 years. You’re often better off catching minor leaks early and servicing heaters annually to extend their lifespan. But once major failures occur, you need emergency plumbing services to get hot water restored promptly.
Hot water systems can fail due to a variety of reasons. Some common causes of heater failure include:
With critical components like heating elements and thermostats continually switching on and off during operation, wear and tear causes breakdowns. Annual servicing detects minor issues early before catastrophic failure occurs. Once major hot water system problems happen, prompt replacement is usually needed to restore hot water.
If you experience a hot water issue, there are some basic troubleshooting tips to try before calling a plumber:
Our experienced plumbers can troubleshoot the exact failure point, fix leaks, replace heating elements, adjust valves or thermostats, clear sediment build ups or advise if full unit replacement is needed. We also provide preventive hot water system maintenance.
Small leaks from your tap, shower heads, toilet cisterns, and water pipes may seem harmless at first. But over time, unchecked drips can damage your savings, resulting in substantial water wastage and increased bills. Leaks also allow issues like water damage to your home with problems like loose tiles, swollen cabinetry and mould risks if left too long.
Many basic leak issues can be solved when you fix them yourself with simple diy methods before calling a plumber:
However, to take care of persistent leaks, split pipes or complex tap mechanisms, our professional assistance will be required. We carry a full range of standard plumbing parts and tools to rectify most residential leaks promptly. Where components fail beyond repair, we’ll source suitable replacements or recommend tapware upgrades.
There are a few scenarios where leaks become common plumbing emergencies that require immediate intervention:
It’s crucial to act promptly in these high risk leak situations to prevent escalation into pipe bursts, floods, electrical fires or hazardous mould concerns. Contact Lindfield Plumbing immediately in emergency leak events.
Even a small leak can wreak havoc on your property over time, wasting water and can cause significant damage. Fortunately, you can address minor leaks on your own with a few simple steps.
If you’re unable to stop the leak, or if it’s worsening rapidly, it’s best to call a professional plumber. Professionals have the right tools and expertise for complex repairs to prevent additional property damage.
Remember, addressing leaks early on is crucial, before they escalate into larger type plumbing problems. Regular inspections for leaks and timely intervention can save time, reduce costs, and alleviate stress.
Gas leaks are an extremely dangerous plumbing emergency. If you smell rotten eggs or hear hissing noises coming from gas appliances or lines, you likely have a gas leak. Other signs include black residue on appliances and pilot lights frequently blowing out.
Gas leaks present an immediate threat to health, with risks of fire, explosion, and carbon monoxide poisoning if ignited. Never hesitate to turn off gas appliances and contact your local and trusted Lindfield Plumbing right away if a gas leak is suspected. We’ll use specialised leak detection equipment to find the source and make necessary repairs.
It’s crucial everyone evacuates the property and emergency services are notified of the leak. Gas leaks can be caused by damaged lines, faulty appliances/metres, improper installations and seismic activity shifting pipes.
Avoid using any electrical items or lighting flames until you can fix your gas leak issue. Annual inspections help detect risks early.
There are a few key signs that may indicate a potential gas leak or other plumbing emergency:
If you notice any of these red flags, it is crucial to call Lindfield Plumbing immediately. Never hesitate to evacuate and alert emergency services either when gas leak risks exist - delays can endanger lives.
Our team of gas leak specialists will use detection equipment to pinpoint the leak location and make necessary repairs to ensure safety is promptly restored.
Annual inspections are wise too, enabling our technicians to check all gas systems and appliances thoroughly for wear, faulty parts or small leaks, and address issues before major disasters happen. Stay vigilant and call us anytime troubling signs appear.
If you suspect a gas leak, it is crucial to take these steps immediately:
Our team of qualified gas technicians will use specialised leak detection equipment to accurately locate the leak source and make necessary repairs to gas pipes, appliances or fittings. We ensure properties are certified safe before re-entry and work to restore gas quickly, preventing explosions or poisoning.
Annual inspections can also mitigate the risk of gas leaks occurring. We check for pipe damage, faulty appliances and do thorough leak checks to address risks early. In the event of a potential gas disaster, don’t delay contacting emergency services and our team.
Plumbing emergencies like blocked toilets, burst pipes, and gas leaks can happen when you least expect them. We explain the most common issues homeowners face and provide solutions. If you’re experiencing a plumbing emergency, call us right away for assistance.
Read MoreUnsure how to turn off your gas supply? It’s important to know where your gas meter is located and how to shut off the valve in an emergency. We explain the quick, safe steps so you’re prepared. Contact Lindfield Plumbing if you need a professional gas technician.
Read MoreWhen a drain becomes blocked, it is generally the landlord’s duty to arrange and pay for drain repairs and maintenance. However, tenants may be liable if the clog was caused by their actions, like pouring fats down the sink. Call Lindfield Plumbing to unclog blocked drains fast.
Read MoreLindfield, 2070 NSW
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