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You never realize how essential it is to flush a toilet or turn on a shower until your plumbing stops working. When a plumbing emergency occurs that detrimentally affects the function or state of your home, call an emergency 24-hour plumber near you for immediate assistance. An emergency plumber acts fast to fix your plumbing issue as soon as possible.
Read on to learn more about the types of plumbing issues an emergency plumber can address and how to find a 24-hour plumber.
What Does an Emergency 24-Hour Plumber Do?
An emergency 24-hour plumber addresses plumbing emergencies. Usually, these types of problems restrict your ability to use the fixtures in your home or are presently causing damage to your home. Call an emergency 24-hour plumber for any of the following plumbing issues.
Burst Pipes
Always call an emergency 24-hour plumber if you notice a pipe in your home has burst open. As opposed to a leaking pipe, a burst pipe will spew water everywhere and requires immediate attention to avoid flooding or additional damage. Frozen pipes are often a reason for pipe bursts.
Flooding
Extensive flooding can quickly cause irreversible water damage, mold growth, or even electrical issues. Flooding is not an issue to ignore and should be addressed as soon as possible. An emergency 24-hour plumber will find the cause of the flooding and make the necessary repairs to stop any further damage.
No Hot Water
While not ideal, having to shower or bathe in cold water is not necessarily a reason to call an emergency plumber. If you require warm or hot water for medical purposes, certainly request a 24-hour plumber; otherwise, a standard plumber should be able to fix or replace your hot water heater in a couple of days.
Sewer Backup
A sewer backup is one of the most severe plumbing emergencies. Not only does the sewage cause damage to your home, but it can also affect your health. An emergency plumber will figure out why the sewer is backing up and help out your situation by fixing the problem or contacting and working with your local municipality.
Clogged Drains
Whether or not to call an emergency plumber for a clogged drain depends on the scope of the situation. If it is just one clogged drain, stop using that fixture and contact a standard plumber. If multiple drains in your home are clogged, this alludes to a bigger issue like a potential backup that should be addressed immediately.
Discolored Water
Water that is brown, yellow or otherwise different than usual is not safe for consumption and needs to be evaluated. A broken pipe or backup could be causing the contamination. Contact an emergency plumber if your water becomes discolored and unusable for an extended period of time.
What Should You Look for in an Emergency Plumber
Requesting an emergency plumber is usually fast-paced, meaning you might not have as much time as you would want to vet the professional. At a minimum, use the following checklist to find a qualified 24-hour plumber for your task.
- Ensure the plumber is attentive to your issue: You should establish clear expectations of when the plumber will arrive and what work will be completed before moving forward.
- Contact multiple pros: Ideally, call three to four emergency plumbers, but at the very least two. Explain your issue and compare the cost and services of each provider to find the best value option.
- Check reviews and testimonials: You might be tempted to skip over this step in a rush, but a quick way to double-check the credibility of the emergency plumber is by reading online reviews and past customer testimonials.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Calling an Emergency Plumber?
Calling an emergency plumber is likely your only option if you find yourself in an emergency plumbing situation. If you are on the fence about contacting a 24-hour plumber, here are a few pros and cons to consider.
Pros
- Your issue will be taken care of immediately, rather than scheduled out a few days into the future.
- You can get your water or sewer service back working again in a quick manner.
Cons
- You will pay more for emergency plumber services than standard plumbing services.
What Is the Cost to Hire an Emergency Plumber?
An emergency plumber usually costs between $50 to $125 per hour or $80 per hour on average. This is slightly higher than the cost of a standard plumber at $50 to $80 per hour. The increased price compared to the regular cost of a plumbing repair is due in part to the immediate need.
The plumber has to leave what they are currently working on or wake in the middle of the night to address the issue, which comes at an increased cost. Note this is only the cost of labor. Material costs will also be included and could have a rush fee tacked on.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are considered plumbing emergencies?
Plumbing emergencies actively cause damage to your house or your health and need to be fixed immediately to stop the damage from happening. For example, issues like sewer backup, burst pipes or clogged drains require emergency plumbing services. No hot water or discolored water might not be an immediate issue for all. If you have healthcare needs that require constant access to hot water or clean water, then these problems become emergencies.
How do you handle a plumbing emergency?
For a plumbing emergency, immediately contact an emergency 24-hour plumber. Ideally, you will have a contact for a plumber that offers this service and can come to your home to quickly address the problem.
Is it worth calling a plumber?
For most plumbing issues, it is worth it to call and hire a plumber. A plumber can assess the problem from an expert’s standpoint and walk you through all of your potential solutions. You can then rest easy knowing the plumber will fix the problem quickly and correctly.
Is a backed-up drain an emergency?
A single backed-up or clogged drain does not indicate an emergency; however, if multiple drains are backed up or if the backed-up drain begins to overflow and cause flooding, this quickly becomes a plumbing emergency.
