It's been a great weekend. You've visited with friends and family, had a great dinner at your favorite restaurant, and even played a couple rounds of golf. But now it's back to the office. You swing open the door and punch in your security code but then you realize that things are not normal. There's a different smell and the air seems a little damp. Then you notice the water in the hall and the wet stain on the front office carpet.
Frozen Pipes: When water in pipes freeze they expand and may even burst the pipe. Close the main shutoff valve. If the pipe has not split yet, thaw it with hot water bottles from the end of the pipe nearest to the tap. Thawing must be gentle, never with a naked flame, to avoid thermal water expansion that too can split the pipe. As a preventive maintenance make sure your pipes are appropriately insulated against the cold months.
You can then possibly fix the drain yourself with over the counter products. You can then learn how to prevent the drain problem from ever happening again. Another step is to purchase all your own plumbing supplies. If the plumber does not have to leave to get an item that you already have, this will lower the amount of money you will have to pay them. If you do have to call the professional, make sure that you check everything that involves your bathtub replace in your home from dripping faucets to clogs. This way when he arrives, you can have him look and fix everything that you are having a problem with. This will keep from spending the money to call him again.
Not all faucets have or even need interior shut-off valves. If your valve is a "frost-free" style of valve then you wouldn't need a shut off inside. Frost free valves are a style of valve in which the Trustworthy plumber water shut off for the valve is located internally in the valve inside the house. The use of a frost-free valve is best suited for locations in which an internal shut off valve is inaccessible such as a location where the walls and ceilings are all finished. This style faucet can leak over time. If you have a frost-free valve that is leaking you will need to replace the washers internally on the valve to prevent the valve from freezing and bursting.
Before you hire your Local plumber, make sure they are licensed to carry out the work. A lot of plumbing work has to be carried out by licensed professionals, you need to make sure that they are - ask to see their license. Also, ask them their hourly rate, ask friends if they can recommend a reliable, reputable tradesman. When carrying out large renovations in your home, always ask for a written quote from your plumber first, supply him with a set of drawings of the project and ask him to price from the plans.
If you have patience and time, you can look for a plumber in yellow pages. Look over the pages to find a plumber. You will need good eyesight to spot it as the print they use is very fine. You can locate a few of plumbers with some effort. You should list down minimum three of them to finally select the one. Check about their charges and the services they offer. Before finalizing, verify about their reputation by getting help from different agencies run by the government.
Without a knowledge of this home improvement area, you run the risk of creating more of a problem than you began with. You don't want to make things worse and you don't want to create any more damage, so take a step back and call a knowledgeable plumbing service to come in and take over the project.