Common home emergencies and how to deal with them
The most important thing you need to do when a home emergency occurs is to react quickly. However, when this happens to homeowners, especially for the first time, they remain completely paralysed, not knowing what to do. Thus, it’s of the utmost importance that you learn about the most common home emergencies and know how to deal with them properly. Only then will you be prepared for the unexpected.
1. Burst, broken or frozen pipes
If you notice a heavy leak in your home, you probably have a burst or broken pipe. It’s important that you react quickly because a bad leak can cause serious damage to your home. The first thing you need to do is turn off the main water valve and the electricity in that particular area. Then, inspect the pipes to locate the issue. Afterwards, you can call an emergency plumber to fix or replace the broken or burst pipe.
When it comes to frozen pipes, you may notice that your water flow has slowed down or completely stopped. In such a case, you need to open your faucets, locate the frozen area and use a hair dryer to heat up the pipes. You need to improve pipe insulation to completely eliminate this problem.
2. A gas leak
As one of the most dangerous home emergencies, a gas leak should be dealt with as soon as you notice it since even a spark can cause a fire or an explosion. A sign of a gas leak might be the smell of rotten eggs, so if you notice it, you should immediately leave your home and call an emergency service. Under no circumstances should you smoke or light matches inside and turn your appliances on or off. You should turn off the gas supply and open the windows to air out your home.
3. A power outage
A power outage is another common household emergency that you may experience. First, you need to identify the cause of a power outage in your home. If the problem was caused by faulty wiring, overloaded power points or a tripped circuit breaker, it’s essential that you call a reliable and experienced emergency electrician who can deal with this issue properly. On the other hand, if the power failure was caused by extreme weather, there’s nothing you can really do about it aside from gathering all the necessary supplies. However, if you’re the only one affected by a lightning strike, for instance, you should definitely call a professional to help you.
4. A kitchen fire
A fire caused by grease is one of the most common emergencies in the kitchen. If this happens to you, you shouldn’t use water to put out the fire. This will only make it worse because it will splash the grease around. Instead, you should cover the fire with a metal lid or pot until it dies out. You can also use baking soda to douse the fire. Of course, you should definitely install a smoke detector and have a fire extinguisher nearby just in case.
5. A break-in
If you happen to find an intruder in your home, under no circumstances should you confront them because you can never know whether they’re armed. Instead, you should hide or leave your home and call the police immediately. In addition, you should come up with an emergency plan with all the possible exits that all of your family members should know. Furthermore, you should implement different measures to protect your home against possible intruders. This typically entails installing an alarm system, security cameras, security lighting, etc.
6. An overflowing toilet
An overflowing toilet may cause a flood in your bathroom, resulting in serious damage to your property. Therefore, if your toilet can’t stop running and it doesn’t drain properly, you should turn off the valve located in the back of your toilet. Afterwards, you should mop up the water and then identify the cause of the problem. Typically, this is the result of a toilet blockage that occurs when you flush down the items you shouldn’t. You should try to unblock your toilet by using a plunger or pulling out the materials causing the blockage. You can also pour a bucket of water straight into the toilet to flush it. If this doesn’t help, you should call an emergency plumber.
In case of emergencies, you need to react quickly to prevent more serious problems from occurring, so make sure to be prepared.
