How to prevent damage in plumbing emergencies

What would you do if your boiler broke down or your pipes started leaking?

It can be challenging for people to find a reputable plumber. While we at 247 Home Rescue respond to boiler and home emergency cover claims 24/7, people without boiler breakdown cover could find themselves frantically searching the Yellow Pages and calling multiple emergency plumbers, all of whom are fully booked-up.

People are frequently in a distressed and upset state when they need a plumbing or heating engineer and are desperate to get the problem resolved and their water and heating back on, and the pressure they feel allows rogue traders and cowboy builders to take advantage of the situation.

So what should you do in a plumbing emergency?

Major leaks

In the event of a major plumbing leak, turn off your water supply at the stopcock, which is usually found in the kitchen, or at the boundary stopcock, which may be next to your water meter.

Smaller leaks

In the event of a smaller internal leak, look for an isolation valve next to the leaking appliance. You may need to use a screwdriver, although you may simply have to turn a lever. This will turn the water supply off to the appliance but leave the rest of your home’s water supply operational.

Hot water systems

With hot water cylinders, find the gate valve; this is usually in the airing cupboard. Turn this gate valve off, and then turn on your hot taps to empty the cylinder.

On combi boilers, look for the isolation valve. This is a lever-operated valve on the underside of the boiler.

Gas leaks

A gas leak is an emergency, and can lead to fire and explosion. Follow these instructions to stay safe when you smell gas.

• Turn off the gas using the emergency control valve. This will be at the gas meter.

• Ventilate the room by opening your doors and windows.

• Do not operate any electrical appliances or switches – you may create a spark if you turn them off or on.

• Do not use any naked flames, and do not smoke.

• Call the National Gas Emergency Helpline on 0800 111 999. This number is open 24/7.

Oil leaks

Oil leaks are also very dangerous. You can isolate an oil leak by accessing the tank isolation valve, which is found on the outlet of the oil tank. You can also do so with the appliance isolation valve for the range or oven – this is found where the pipeline enters the property.

Have you read our tips on avoiding plumbing emergencies?

Suffering with a plumbing emergency?

Contact us on 0345 3192 247 and we can help! Our technical teams will run through some simple troubleshooting tips with you to see if your problem can be resolved over the phone. If not, we’ll send a highly skilled and qualified plumber round to get your plumbing problems sorted as soon as possible.

There could be a number of reasons for your plumbing issues so it’s better to trust the professionals. After all, you could end up making it worse and you could be faced with a hefty bill to pay to repair the damage. We help, we repair, we care.

247 Home Rescue accepts no liability for any injuries or damages you sustain following the advice on this website. If in doubt, seek professional assistance.