Common family house emergencies: troubleshooting.
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In order to deal with any kind of emergency, there are two things that influence its outcome more than anything else: knowing what to do and reacting quickly. A home emergency requires your prompt and proper decision in order to be resolved if you want to minimize the damage to your home. That’s why it’s vital you know what to do and who to call because most emergencies need urgent professional attention.
While many things can go wrong in a home where adults and children live, there are some emergencies that occur more often than others, which is why we’ve prepared the following list of most common family home emergencies and some tips on how to deal with them.
Power failure
Power failures often happen without any warning, though some signs might be there. They could be a consequence of poor electrical wiring or the issues related to the supply coming into your home. If you see that your neighbors don’t have the same problem, call a qualified electrician immediately. Also, refrain from trying to fix the problem yourself. Most likely, the power failure is caused by something you can’t control, such as extreme weather conditions, or a general power cut and there’s nothing else you can do, but light some candles and wait for help.
Blocked toilets and drains
Every home experiences these problems sooner or later. If you have kids, chances are this will happen to you sooner. Your instinct might tell you that the best thing to do is grab a plunger to force the blockage out or prepare a mixture of caustic soda and pour it down the drain or toilet. However, that doesn’t solve the problem every time, as many Australians have already found out. Namely, the most common causes of blocked toilets down under are wet wipes, female sanitary products, excess toilet paper and toys or other kids’ items.
If that’s the case, a plunger will not be enough. You simply have to turn to a professional plumber. This North Sydney plumber, for instance, performs an inspection of your toilet using CCTV cameras and uses jet blaster if necessary. So, if your child was a bit too curious and flushed some of their toys down the toilet, you know what you need to do. One good thing about blocked toilets and drains, however, is the fact that there are usually warning signs, such as your toilet overflowing or being slow to drain. You might even detect bad smells or gurgling sounds as you flush the toilet.
Water heater
If you have a water heater at home, you have to be aware that it won’t last forever. In many cases, you have to get a new one as soon as you notice that the old heater is acting up. That is necessary because you don’t want it to burst unexpectedly and pour water out into your ceiling and possibly the room below. So, the moment you notice your heater is not working properly, call an experienced installed. In the meantime, you need to turn the water supply off at the mains outside the house. If there are any leaks and there is water dripping from the ceiling, put some buckets and towels where possible to capture the overflow from the burst heater.
Broken glass door or window
With children running around and playing inside the house or practicing football or rugby in front of it, you might soon experience what it feels like to have a glass door or window broken. This emergency seriously jeopardizes the safety of your home, which is why you have to deal with it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do, apart from cleaning up and removing all pieces of glass from the floor, while waiting for a glass-fitting professional to come and replace the broken glass as quickly as possible.
Gas leak
With many Australians using gas ovens and stoves, there is always a risk of a gas leak, which can be very dangerous. So, if you smell gas or suspect there is a gas leak, you have to make sure no open flame is present in the house and don’t turn anything electrical on or off. Immediately open all the doors and windows to air the room and turn off the gas supply at the bottle. As soon as you’ve done that, call a licensed gas-fitter to repair the leak. By no means should you try to rectify the problem yourself?
These are the most common problems families face in term of home emergencies. Knowing what to do and who to call is therefore extremely important. Also, teaching your kids to recognize and report an emergency can not only help you deal with a problem but also save lives.
Author BIO
If one thing is true about Lillian Connors, her mind is utterly curious. That’s why she can’t resist the urge to embark on a myriad of green living/home improvement projects and spread the word about them. She cherishes the notion that sustainable housing and gardening will not only make us far less dependent on others regarding the dwellings we inhabit, but also contribute to our planet being a better place to live on. You can check her out LinkedIn.