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Five Items You Should Keep On Hand In Case Of A Plumbing Emergency

21 January 2019 by Wade Wheeler

Nobody wants to come home to a burst pipe or to flush the toilet and find that nothing goes down. Both of these situations could easily become plumbing emergencies, especially if you don't have the right supplies on hand to deal with and contain the problem. As such, here are five items every homeowner should have on hand to deal with plumbing emergencies and almost-emergencies.

1. Plungers

A plunger can save you from a clogged toilet and also from a blocked tub drain. To be safe, you'll want two plungers to adequately deal with these situations. A toilet plunger has a flared bottom to fit into the toilet's drain. A sink or tub plunger has a plain, bowl-shaped head. If you think you'll have trouble remembering which plunger is which in an emergency, label them "toilet," "sink," and "tub" with a permanent marker.

2. Drain Cleaner

Chemical drain cleaners do an awesome job of busting through tough clogs, but they can also do a number on your pipes. As such, you should really spend a few dollars more on an enzymatic drain cleaner to keep on hand. This type of drain cleaner uses enzymes to slowly break down grease, hair, and other common clogging culprits. It's much safer for your drains when you face that stubborn clog.

3. A Bucket

It's simple, but a bucket can mean the difference between a flooded bathroom floor and a few drips of water if you develop a leaky pipe. Any 5-gallon bucket will do. You can actually use the bucket to hold the other items on this list, so it can do double duty.

4. Plumbing Putty

You cannot permanently fix a pipe with plumbing putty alone, but it will temporarily patch up a little leak until your plumber is able to come out. This putty comes in a tub and has the texture of sticky tack when wet, but it dries harder after a few minutes.

5. A Flashlight

A flashlight won't fix a burst pipe, but it will make it easier for you to see what you're doing as you look for a leak in the basement or under the sink. You really don't want to use the flashlight app on your phone for this since water damage could ruin your phone.

With these residential plumbing supplies in your arsenal, you don't have to be as concerned about emergencies. Keep the number of a good plumber on hand, too!

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