There are many things that can cause plumbing pipes to turn your home into a watery mess. It can be due to a pipe bursting during a winter freeze or a drain clogging and causing an appliance to become an unwanted water fountain in your home. No matter what the cause of your water situation is, you will want to get the water out quickly to avoid further damage to your home. Here are some tips to help you get the water out while you are waiting for the cavalry to arrive and help clean things up:
1. Turn Off The Water Service Where The Pipes Are Broken
When you have a plumbing problem that is causing a mess, the first thing you will want to do is turn off the water. You can turn on the faucets to remove the water from lines once the water service is off. If it is a drainage problem, you may want to look for the cleanout on the drain lines and open it if it will not affect other areas of your home. Some homes have a cleanout outside, which can be opened for a temporary solution to backflow problems. Be careful when doing this because the pressure from backflow can cause injury once a cap is loose.
2. Use A Pool Vacuum Hose To Clean Out The Water If Available
If you have a pool vacuum with a long hose, this can be a great tool for cleaning out the flood of water in your home. You can use the pool hose as a siphon to start pumping the water out of your home. This can be good if the level of water is deep. You can even use small pool pumps for a solution to pump out the water or start the siphon of the hose, but remember to remove the filter.
3. Turn Your Shop Vacuum Into an Emergency Water Pump
If you have a shop vacuum, this can also be a great tool for cleaning up watery messes. On the canister of some models, there may be a plug, which can be attached to a hose. Doing so will allow you to use your vacuum as a pump. You can even drill a hole in the canister and add a treaded connector to allow you to attach a garden hose to your vacuum, but you will want to do this before you have a water problem in your home.
4. Use Any Pumps You Can Find To Start Pumping The Water Out
Many homes also have pumps that are used for different tasks, such as a garden pump for a small landscape pond or an above ground pool pump. If you have any of these features around your home, you may want to put them to use to start getting the water out. You may also want to have an emergency submersible pump for water emergencies if your home is prone to these problems.
These are some things that you can do to stop the flood of water in your home while you wait for help. If you need emergency aid getting the water out quickly, contact an emergency water removal service like Walker's Carpet Care & Janitorial Services Inc to bring in the cavalry and clean out the water before it destroys your home.
