Three Home Emergencies and How to Avoid Them
From leaks to pest infestations, home emergencies can often start small before developing into serious problems.
Because of this, it’s important to take action as soon as you notice the early warning signs of a home emergency developing. Below, we’ve listed three common home emergencies, along with the key signs you should be aware of to help you avoid them.
Burst pipes and leaks
A leak in your home might not seem like a major emergency, but the reality is that it can cause a massive amount of damage.
From walls to flooring, built-in furniture and even the foundation of your home, leaks can quickly penetrate the materials used to build your home, causing lasting damage that can be extremely expensive to repair.
When leaks occur in your yard and garden, they can even cause sinkholes to develop, all whilst damaging outdoor paving, driveways and other materials. In short, even a minor leak can result in major repair bills.
Beyond the cost of repairs to your property, leaks can also have significant costs due to wasted water.
The best way to deal with a leak is to call in an expert plumber as soon as possible. Most of the time, you’ll be able to notice a leak in its early stages as a wet patch on your walls or floor, or as a damp “ring” shape on your home’s ceiling.
As for avoiding leaks, the best strategy is to make sure your home’s plumbing is modern, cared for and designed to tolerate your water consumption and usage habits.
Pest infestations
From cockroaches to mice, any form of pest infestation tends to be an unpleasant, unhygienic experience for you as a homeowner.
Pest infestations can occur for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, pests are drawn into your home due to the presence of food scraps in your rubbish bin. In other cases, common insects such as cockroaches can enter into your home through a cracked or damaged pipe.
Just like water leaks, pest infestations are easiest to solve when they’re in the early stages. The longer you wait to deal with a cockroach, ant, mice or other form of pest infestation, the harder it will usually be.
If you notice a pest infestation, act quickly by calling in an expert pest removal service as soon as possible. After the infestation has been terminated, it’s important to solve the problem that attracted the pests in the first place, whether it’s plumbing damage or poor waste disposal.
Blocked Pipes
Have you noticed an unpleasant odour coming from your bathroom or kitchen? Blocked pipes are an extremely common home emergency — one that you’ll usually notice as a result of poor drainage or an unpleasant smell from your sink, toilet, shower or bathtub.
Blocked pipes can occur for a variety of reasons, from oil, hair and other substances collecting inside the pipe to damage from tree roots.
There are a variety of ways to unblock a pipe, ranging from over-the-counter tools available at your local supermarket to advanced industrial equipment. Most of the time, the best solution is to call in your local plumber, as they’ll be best equipped to solve the problem.
Another option is to make sure you’re covered under home emergency insurance, which usually provides support for home plumbing and drainage issues such as blocked drains and leaks.