Plumbing Emergency! How To Avoid A Christmas Disaster

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What is a plumbing emergency?

Plumbing emergencies are usually plumbing issues that require emergency service. These emergency services may include repairs to broken water pipes, overflowing toilets and sinks, overflowing septic tanks, emergency pipe replacement, emergency sewage removal and drain cleaning. 

These problems can arise quickly and often require a rapid response from an emergency plumbing service to prevent further flooding or property damage. Emergency plumbing repair services are there to help save the day when it feels like all is lost.

7 Tips for Preventing a Plumbing Emergency This Christmas

Admittedly, you don’t tend to think about your home’s piping or plumbing system until there’s an emergency. But if you take a few moments for preventative maintenance now, you can be better prepared for emergencies or even avoid them altogether!

You can use these maintenance tips to keep your home’s plumbing system in good shape and prevent some plumbing emergencies this Christmas:

1. Avoid pouring fats, oils and grease (FOG) down the drain or toilet

Fats, oils and grease are never a good thing when it comes to plumbing, as they will solidify once they cool off, collect other debris and create a blockage that will require professional intervention. 

Instead, place oven dishes with hot grease somewhere safe to cool and then scrape the solidified fat into the bin. You can soak up oils with a paper towel or pour them back into a bottle and dispose of them in the trash. 

2. Steer clear of a plumbing emergency with a sink strainer

Besides FOG, food scraps and debris can cause a blockage in your kitchen sink, especially during the festive season. If you don’t have a sink strainer, you can place a colander over the drain when rinsing off plates.

Have an older sink that didn’t come with a sink strainer? Not to worry, you can purchase a sink strainer at your local hardware store or buy one online here: Builder’s Warehouse Sink Accessories.

If you experience a blocked drain, call your local plumbers instead of using drain cleaner that causes extensive and expensive damage to your pipeline.

3. Ensure each bathroom has a bin

Take care of your guests by providing them with a place to dispose of sanitary items. Nothing is worse than having to search for a place to put these items, or even worse, not having nowhere to put them except down the toilet. 

Avoid any potential messes or blockages by investing in bins for every bathroom, so your guests can dispose of sanitary items discreetly.

4. Ensure you don’t have any leaks to avoid a costly plumbing emergency

There is nothing worse than a burst pipe on Christmas Day; imagine having no water with a house full of guests! Not only can leaks cause severe structural damage to your home, but they can also significantly increase your water bill. 

It’s essential to check for any possible leaks in your home before the festivities begin. Absolute Plumbing uses state-of-the-art leak detection methods to quickly detect any hidden or hard-to-find leaks, and we can repair them with minimal disruption to your home with our no-dig solution. 

5. Check your septic tank

If it has been 2 to 3 years since you pumped out your septic tank, you should get it scheduled as soon as possible. Depending on the type of septic tank you have, you may need to empty it more often, so be sure to schedule a pump out ASAP! The last thing you want is sewage to back up or drain slowly in your home while guests stay with you to celebrate the holidays.

For more information on septic tanks, please read this blog: Septic Tanks: Your Top 5 Questions Answered.

6. Prevent a plumbing emergency by checking your pool 

Now that summer days are getting warmer; many people will be looking to take a dip in the pool. So, before your guests arrive, do some routine checks and look for common signs that your pool might have a leak. To get started, ask yourself the following three questions:

1. Are there any soggy patches around your pool?
2. Do you have to top up the pool more often than usual?
3. Are there any cracks in the pool lining or the paving surrounding your pool? 

Although it’s best to let professional plumbers handle swimming pool leak detection, here is a test you can do at home to see if there’s a problem:

Absolute Plumbing’s Bucket Test:

This test will help you determine whether your pool, hot tub or spa is losing water to evaporation or if there is a leak present.:

Step 1: Ensure you fill your pool to its regular height and no rain is scheduled for the next day.

Step 2: Fill a bucket with water and place it on the top step of your pool, making sure that the water is 5cm higher than the level outside the bucket.

Step 3: Remember to turn the pumps and autofill off until the test is complete.

Step 4: Use a grease pencil to mark the water level on the inside and outside of the bucket. The pool’s current water level is shown by the mark you make on the outside of the bucket.

Step 5: Turn the pump back on, but double-check that the autofill is still off.

Step 6: Do not use the pool/hot tub/spa for the test duration.

Step 7: Wait 24 hours, then measure the amount of water that has evaporated from both the bucket and pool.

If, after 24 hours, you notice that the water level in your pool has decreased more than the amount of water in the bucket, you have a leak that constitutes a plumbing emergency. In this case, please call Absolute Plumbing immediately for assistance with swimming pool leak detection.

Keep in mind that this test only checks whether your pool is losing water due to evaporation. You may still have smaller leaks elsewhere in your pipes and pump system.

7. Keep Emergency Numbers on Hand 

Even if you regularly prepare and maintain your plumbing, a plumbing emergency can still happen. From burst pipes to dishwasher malfunctions, there’s always the potential for something to go wrong. In these instances, it is vital that you know which tradesmen to call so that they can fix the problem as quickly as possible.

We recommend you do the following to help reduce stress if you have a plumbing emergency over the holidays:

• Have the number of a reliable plumbing company on the fridge or somewhere that’s easy to see
• Check their service hours
• Which days are plumbing companies closed during the festive season?
• Know where your nearest emergency plumber is situated (you can simply search ‘emergency plumber near me or plumbers near me’ online)
• Ensure you know which services they provide

Got a Plumbing Emergency? Absolute Plumbing can Help!

Absolute Plumbing is here for you when you need us the most. We offer maintenance and emergency plumbing in Cape Town to resolve your issue as soon as possible.

Services we offer include:

• Drain Cleaning
• Leak Detection (including pools)
• Drain camera inspection
• Pipe Relining
• Bathroom Renovations
• Geyser installations and replacement

Being stuck with a plumbing problem is stressful, so our team of experienced plumbers in Cape Town will work quickly and efficiently to get your home back to normal. We have the latest tools and technology to handle any size or scope of the problem.

Final Thoughts

A Christmas plumbing emergency can be stressful and inconvenient, but by taking the steps outlined above, you can decrease your chances of having one. Regular maintenance checks and keeping emergency numbers on hand are crucial to ensuring your plumbing runs smoothly during the holidays.

From everyone at Absolute Plumbing, we wish you a happy and peaceful festive holiday season, and if you have a plumbing emergency, Absolute Plumbing is here to help! 

Call us on 084 872 2758.

*** Please note we will be closed Christmas weekend as well as the 31st of December and the 1st of January ***