As much as we like to think of our bathroom as a place where we can rest and relax, unfortunately there are times when things can go horribly wrong, and it always seems to be at an awkward time when it is not so easy to get hold of your regular plumber to fix the problem. It’s at these times that we will inevitably turn to the services of an emergency plumber. Whether it’s an overflowing toilet, a broken pipe, an unexplainable loss of water pressure or a gas leak, it can be extremely unsettling to have something like this happen in your home. There are some things that can be done around your home to minimise these risks, but it’s always good to know that you have someone available that you can call day or not to get you out of a jam should the need arise.

One of the most unnerving problems that occur with plumbing in your home is a blocked toilet. I don’t need to go into details about what you can expect when this happens, either you have experienced it previously or you can use your imagination to get an idea of just how bad it can be. The last thing you need is a terrible smell like that wafting through your home, not to mention that it can be dangerously unhygienic. One of the most common reasons for having a blocked toilet is that someone has inadvertently flushed something down there that has become lodged in the pipe somewhere. As unsavoury as it can be, it is well worth your while to try and dislodge the item using a plunger or a toilet auger before hiring the services of a 24 hour emergency plumber. Nine times out of ten, a simple plunger will get the foreign object out of the pipe and get your toilet working again.


A broken pipe, on the other hand, is not as easy a thing to fix. If you have a pipe that is cracked or broken, the first thing you need to do is turn off the main water supply to your home. Too much water pouring into your bathroom or kitchen can cause terrible damage to the structure of your home, and you need to make sure that all water coming into the house has been shut off before even going for the phone. If it is an outgoing pipe that is broken, then you don’t necessarily need to worry about turning off your mains water supply, but you should be careful not to use items like dishwashers, showers or washing machines until the pipe has been properly checked out by a 24 hr emergency plumber.

If you have had a sudden interruption to your water supply, then there are a couple of things that you can check on your own before reaching for the phone. Whether the pressure is low, or there is no water coming through at all, your first port of call should be your mains water supply. You may be lucky and find that some kids have walked past your house and thought it would be a good trick to turn it off on you. If this is the case, then it is a simple matter of turning it back on again. If not, you may want to take a walk around your yard and see if there are any soggy patches in the lawn, if you find such a patch, the odds are that one of your incoming pipes has cracked underground, and it’s time to start looking up emergency plumbers.

Even worse than a blocked toilet or a broken pipe, is a gas leak. This can be an extremely dangerous situation to be in, and it’s most important that you take every effort to ensure the safety of your family and your home should this occur. If you notice a gassy smell, the first thing you should do is try and turn off the mains. Do NOT try and call the emergency line while doing this, as electrical devices such as mobile phones can cause sparks, and you definitely don’t want that around a leaking gas pipe. When you contact a plumber regarding a gas leak, make sure that they are certified to work with gas, as not all plumbers are. This is one of those situations where you really need to be sure that the job is done properly.

Not all of these emergency plumbing situations can be avoided, but taking some simple steps around your home on a regular basis will minimise the risk of this happening to you. Avoid flushing large objects down your toilet, and make sure that you educate the family (especially the kids) to do the same. Don’t let grease and oil be poured down your kitchen or bathroom sink, and don’t plant trees or shrubbery to close to any water mains, as their roots will eventually find the pipes and damage them. You should also make it an annual task to get a plumber to come out and look over your pipes to make sure everything is working as it should. Taking these simple steps will help to prevent any nasty emergencies like the ones mentioned above.

So how do you go about finding an emergency plumber in the middle of the night when the water is rising in the basement? Well, the first place to look is in the Yellow Pages. In the normal plumbing section should be a subsection of plumbers that provide after hours service, and they should also list whether they are qualified to fix gas leaks as well. Another great place to look is on the Internet, as more and more plumbers are using this technology to advertise their services, and sites such as Google Maps allow you to do business searches in your local area. If you are concerned about the quality of service you are going to receive, it may be well worth your while to ask friend and family in the local area if they have had any experience with emergency plumbers in your area. Most households have needed this service at some stage, and will be happy to pass on this sort of information. Once you have found a plumber that you are happy with, make sure you get a business card off them and keep it on the fridge for future reference.

Keep in mind that you are going to be paying a premium when enlisting emergency plumber services. This is especially true if your emergency happens to fall on a holiday or in the middle of the night. If this is the case, you need to ask yourself if it truly is an emergency. Maybe you could leave the mains supply shut off until the next day and call your regular plumber at a lower rate, or maybe you can improvise until you can get the problem solved.