The First 10 Minutes: What to Do Before the Plumber Arrives
Table of Contents:
The minutes that pass between you realising you’ve got a problem and the plumber arriving make all the difference in the damage you’ll be left with when there’s a pipe bursting or water is flowing where it doesn’t belong. Water moves quickly and the actions you take within the first ten minutes can determine whether it’s a cleanup or a big insurance claim. Here’s what to do, step by step, while you wait for a 24 hour plumber.
1. Stop the water (the single most important step)
One thing can make a world of difference to nearly all water emergencies: turning off the water. If you can determine the location of the issue, at a toilet, a sink, a hot water unit, turn off that fixture’s isolation valve. If you can’t, or there isn’t one, go to the main water shut-off and turn off the water to the house. Typically the main is located close to the front boundary or the water meter.
That’s why it is important for all families to know where to find and test their main shut-off valve before an emergency occurs, finding it for the first time in a flood, in the dark, wastes the most valuable minutes you have. So if you aren’t sure where yours is, while you’re thinking of it, find it now.
2. For a gas smell, do this instead
The priority order changes if the emergency is a gas leak rather than water. Avoid touching any electrical switch, including exhaust fan and light switches, because the spark may start a fire. Turn off gas at the meter, open doors and windows to ventilate, evacuate the house and call for assistance from the outside. The only plumbing emergency in which it’s appropriate to leave the building is a gas leak.
3. Kill the power to affected areas, safely
Combined with water, electricity can be a dangerous mix. Switch off the power at the meter box to any area where water is near the power points, light fittings or the switchboard, but only if it is safe to do so, with dry hands and standing on a dry surface. Don’t walk through water to get to the switchboard, wait for the professionals.
4. Contain and protect
Once the water’s off, limit what the water that’s already escaped can damage. Contain it with towels, buckets and a mop. Remove items such as valuables, electronics, rugs or furniture from the wet area; furniture legs on blocks or foil will prevent the furniture from being stained and wicking up water. Clearing furnishings and timber quickly genuinely saves them.
Water’s Off, Now Get a Plumber Moving
The quicker the plumber arrives, the quicker it will get fixed. We’re on call any hour, day or night. Call a 24 Hour Plumber on 1300 026 452.
5. Photograph everything before you clean up
Don’t proceed with clearing up and packing up until you’ve taken photos and a brief video of the damage as it was. Water damage is one of the most frequent types of home insurance claims, making up approximately a quarter of all claims in Australia, and insurers look for proof of the original water damage, not a tidied-up version. This helps to preserve your claim if you record it when you find it, not when the assessor arrives days later. Take photos of the spread and damaged items.
6. Call a 24 hour plumber
Once the water is off, photograph the scene, and then call a 24 hour plumber. Explain what has happened, what you’ve already done (water off, power off) and how to get into the property. With clear information, they will arrive well-equipped, which means a faster fix.
What not to do
- Never attempt to tape or patch a burst pipe and assume it will be OK, as this will definitely not withstand mains pressure, and the patch will only cause further damage.
- Never pour chemical drain cleaners into a backed-up drain; it won’t clear a major clog and will pose a hazard to the plumber.
- Avoid using electrical appliances in or near the affected area until the power has been switched off and is safe to use.
- Avoid waiting to find out if it will improve. It doesn’t, and the harm mounts up as you watch.
The bottom line
The first 10 minutes of a plumbing emergency are the most critical. Turn off the water, contain and protect what you can, take pictures of the damage and call the 24-hour plumber. Households that do these things calmly and in order come through with a fraction of the damage suffered by those who freeze or rush around looking for the shut-off valve. The easiest way of all to be prepared is to know where your main shut-off is, today, before you need it.
