Betcha didn’t know plumbers in Lawrenceville, GA have so much to say about 24/7 emergency plumbing, but oh, we do. Here are a few of the most important facts to know.
If there’s one scenario your handy plumbers in Lawrenceville see pretty frequently, it’s a good old-fashioned midnight plumbing emergency. For the last 30 years, we’ve provided toilet, sink and shower service all over the East Side of Atlanta. You can bet in that time we’ve seen some horror stories.
The truth about plumbing, though, is that you don’t need a horror story on your hands to face lost time and money as well as damage to your home. Accordingly, it pays to know more about how to recognize emergencies and nip them in the bud.
But first, because it’s fun and we’re plumbing nerds, how about a quick history of indoor plumbing? More to the point, let’s take a look at what’s different about emergency plumbing today, and why you can rely on it. From there we’ll explore some of the most common plumbing emergencies, why you should fix even the small ones quickly and where you should turn for help.
Disclaimer: If you are currently experiencing a Ghostbusters-style Stay Puft Marshmallow Man explosion in the middle of the night, stop reading this and call us at 770-385-5660. We’ll send someone out to your location immediately to assess the situation and save you from further water or sewage disaster. If that’s not you, on the other hand, time for a history lesson! Read on.
A Brief History of Indoor Plumbing
Did you know that indoor plumbing dates back to at least 2500 B.C.? Asia’s Indus Valley Civilization boasted individual toilets in homes, connected to a subterranean sewer, more than 4,500 years ago. The Chinese, Greeks, and Romans subsequently improved upon plumbing systems, bringing fresh water to homes, public filling stations, and baths. While many people think of plumbing as a recent innovation, on-demand water, and sewage treatment has actually existed for a long, long time.
We like to imagine that our service is a bit speedier, however, especially in an emergency. After all, we’ve got cell phones and cars and plumber’s kits. But who really knows? Perhaps Octavius the Roman Plumber Extraordinaire had a really fast horse, smoke signaling system, and plumbing supplier.
The point is not that we are better than Octavius (although we are, especially because of the whole lead pipes thing). No, the point is that we routinely exceed our clients’ expectations with fast, efficient and effective service, even in the middle of the night. When we do a job, it stays done. In the rare instance that we don’t catch the real problem or it recurs – the plumbing fairies can get mischievous, after all – we’ll make it right immediately. Our team of highly trained professionals is on the job faster than you can say “aqueduct.” You can take that to the moneylenders!
The question then becomes: what about emergencies? Now that we’ve discussed a bit of fun trivia (future cocktail party stardom is now yours), here are a few facts your friendly plumbers in Lawrenceville, GA want you to know.
“Small” Issues Aren’t Necessarily Non-Emergency Issues
If you think you might need emergency plumbing repair, you probably do. However, many people spot a leak at the base of their toilet or a small stream of water coming from their shower head and think…can’t it wait? ‘Til the sun rises, ’til after I get the kids, ’til this evening when I get home from work?
Those are natural questions. Finding yourself unable to turn the shower off all the way doesn’t seem like a huge deal. A leak that’s easily soaked up by a rag seems pretty harmless. The truth, though, is you may do a great deal of harm by waiting even a few hours. Leaks that involve more than a few drips are often a very big deal, so don’t wait.
Even smaller issues can waste tons of money. According to one estimate, a leaky toilet can consume 200 wasted gallons a day – that’s 6,000 gallons a month! (You’re welcome for that staggering bit of math, by the way.) And while water line repair might not seem like your highest priority, you don’t want to learn after the fact that it should have been.
The Most Common Emergency Plumbing Issues Seen by Our Lawrenceville Plumbers
It’s true that not every faucet drip or running toilet is a true emergency. If the problem seems to be mild, you can feel free to take a measured approach. However, if the problem is at all sudden and isn’t extremely minimal, it’s time for immediate action. Think:
- Wall leaks, wherein a pipe is dripping in your wall and starts spilling water or sewage into insulation, electrical wires and other House Structures of Note
- Burst pipes, where water is leaking, flowing or gushing into your home
- Water heater tanks that have rusted through and sprung leaks, or are leaking through components
- Outside or under the house pipe bursts due to freezing and thawing during the winter and springtime
- Clogged sewer lines that back up into your home’s drains, sinks or toilets
- Busted thrones that refuse to flush no matter how many times you jiggle the handle, mess with that chain in the tank or otherwise try to troubleshoot
- Mold in your home near water pipes: under the sink, around the toilet, in water heater closets, et cetera
- Sudden soft spots on the lawn, which indicate broken water or sewer mains and can attract rats like nobody’s business
This is not every plumbing emergency, of course, but this list does include a few of the most problematic. If you see these or similar issues, please get in touch immediately – even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal right now.
Why You Should Fix Even Small Emergencies Right Away
Homeowners are sometimes tempted to wait before fixing an emergency for multiple reasons: cost, time, insurance, inconvenience. This almost universally makes the situation worse. We can’t tell you how many people admit to us, “Well, we discovered the leak yesterday, but…”
No buts. If you find any of the above issues in your home, it is time to pick up the phone and call right away. Your home is your biggest asset. Whether you rent it out to tenants or live in it yourself, it’s silly to devalue your investment by allowing damage to accumulate.
Even smaller emergencies, like a toilet running onto the floor (“But we can totally take care of it with towels!”) is time-critical. For one, as we shared above, a simple running toilet can waste thousands of gallons a month. That’s bad for the Earth and bad for your paycheck.
For another, emergency issues are often much worse than they appear. A clogged upstairs toilet that you don’t use much can still cause backups that overflow into your much-more-important downstairs bathroom. Or they could result in sewage pooling under your lawn. Yum! (Spoiler alert: It’s not yum.)
The point? Don’t wait for your foundations to erode before you call in the pros. Your home, your family and your bank account will thank you.
Would you like to learn more about how plumbers in Lawrenceville, GA can help you in an emergency? Or even just with everyday plumbing issues? We’d love to tell you more. The Anthony Wimpey Plumbing team is here to help residents and business owners across Atlanta’s East Side. We’re located in Social Circle, also serving Athens, Monroe, Conyers, Loganville, Lithonia, Covington, Lawrenceville, and McDonough. Get in touch with us immediately by calling 770-385-5660 today or requesting a free quote.