As a homeowner, there are many different items you’ll have to purchase in order to properly maintain your house. From drills and a hammer to install shelving to purchasing specific tools for your plumbing system, they all become a necessity to help handle problems when they arise. We’re going to go over some of the basic tools that you want to have in your emergency plumbing kit below.

Just keep in mind that tools in your plumbing kit can help you handle small issues like tightening a loose connection. However, if your piping develops a leak or you can’t seem to get your toilet unclogged with a plunger, it’s best to contact a professional for assistance. They’re going to have the expertise alongside a plethora of specialized tools to handle any plumbing job that you have. This will also ensure that you get a permanent fix for the particular issue you’re dealing with, preserve the warranties on your equipment, and stay safe and hygienic. This guide is meant to show you what you need when there’s an emergency so that you can stabilize the situation until a professional emergency plumber arrives to fix it.

Trying to fix plumbing issues on your own is a recipe for floods, water damage, and voided warranties. That’s why for all but the most basic home plumbing maintenance and small fixes, you should call the pros and avoid DIY work. If you make the problem worse it can become much more expensive and time-consuming to fix, requiring more major plumbing repairs. It also can quickly lead to a series of cascading issues like water damage, mold, sewage backups, and longer downtime for your plumbing system. Also be sure to turn off the water supply before doing any work, which we’ll discuss in more detail below.

Flashlight

A flashlight is going to be one of those items that you’ll typically use on every plumbing job that you do. It’s very common for piping to be run in dimly lit locations like under sinks. Having a proper flashlight can go a long way toward helping you to better assess the situation that you’re dealing with and respond to it promptly. Make sure that you have spare batteries in your kit as well so that you can replace them whenever your flashlight dies out.

Bucket

Most of the time, to repair a plumbing issue, you first need to drain any water that’s still left in the piping. This is where having a bucket comes into play. In fact, many homeowners find it very useful to store most of their emergency plumbing repair items in the bucket, as it provides a convenient place to hold all of the items. Opt to use at least a 3-gallon bucket to ensure that you have enough space to hold the water that you’re draining. Avoid using a larger 5-gallon bucket, as it usually won’t fit underneath tight locations like sinks.

Plungers

One of the most commonly thought of plumbing tools is a plunger. This tool can be extremely useful when you’re dealing with a clog in your toilet or sink. It’s important to know that there are two different sizes of plungers depending on the application. Smaller plungers are intended to be used on sinks since they have much smaller drains and piping. Larger plungers are intended to be used on toilets, as they require a wider head on the plunger to be effective in creating enough suction.

Pipe Wrench

Another great tool to keep in your emergency plumbing kit is a pipe wrench. These come in a wide variety of different sizes depending on the specific application. While you may be tempted to try and purchase one of the larger sizes thinking that it can cover all the different applications that you’ll need it for, that’s not typically the best idea. Larger pipe wrenches won’t fit in tighter areas like underneath your sink. Opt for getting a medium-sized pipe wrench that can handle both small and medium jobs.

Crescent Wrench

Another must-have tool for your emergency plumbing kit is a crescent wrench. This wrench comes with an adjustable jaw that will allow you to tighten it to the specific size of fitting that you’re trying to tighten or remove. Contrary to a pipe wrench, a crescent wrench is easier to use for most people and can fit in a variety of applications that a pipe wrench simply can’t. However, just as we discussed with the pipe wrench, you’ll want to choose a crescent wrench that’s of medium size to fit a wide variety of plumbing applications.

Teflon Tape

Most people are familiar with the white tape that comes along with many new plumbing fixtures. This is formally referred to as Teflon tape, and it’s used to cover threaded connections to create a waterproof seal. It’s very important to have a roll of this on hand so that you can use it whenever you’re going to be threading connections together.

Any time that you take apart an existing connection to repair it, it’s important to remove the existing remnants of the tape that was used beforehand and apply new tape. Without proper application of Teflon tape, these threaded connections can actually start leaking.

Waterproof Gloves

One commonly forgotten tool for dealing with plumbing problems is waterproof gloves. When you’re dealing with wet piping, it can be very slippery on your hands. In fact, it can be hard to hold on to pipes in order to tighten their connections. Waterproof gloves will help to ensure that your hands stay safe and are able to properly grip the piping. That way, you can get the tight connections you need to repair the issue you’re dealing with.

Pipe Repair Clamp

One tool that you may want to keep in your plumbing kit just in case there’s a leak is a pipe repair clamp. These are specifically designed to fit over your existing piping and to tighten down over them to create a temporary repair. It’s important that the pipe repair clamp be of the appropriate size to fit the particular size of piping that you’re trying to go over. Remember that these are only meant to be a temporary fix until you can have a plumbing professional come out and do a permanent repair on your leaky pipe.

A Note About Handling Plumbing Emergencies

When you first realize that you have a plumbing emergency at your home, it’s absolutely vital to do a quick assessment of the situation to determine how you’re going to handle it. If there’s a leak in your piping, opt for shutting off the water supply to that area. If there are no individual shut-offs for that line of piping, then opt for shutting off the main water supply valve. It’s crucial to stop the leak as quickly as possible to prevent water damage from happening to your home. Once it’s turned off, call a professional plumber.

Expert Plumbing Repair Service

Southport Home Services offers expert plumbing services for the Madison, WI area. We can also assist with all of your heating and air conditioning needs, including repair, installation, and maintenance. Simply call our office today to book your next appointment with one of our knowledgeable plumbing professionals.

Meet the Author
Thomas Suchla
Thomas Suchla

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