It is the absolute worst way to spend you night. You get up to use the restroom, and the next thing you know, you’re dealing with a clogged pipe and a potential flood. In moments like this, there are steps you can take, including calling a 24 hour plumbing service, to help save your sanity and your home. Keep reading to learn more.

1) Turn Off the Water The absolute first thing you can do is to turn off the water source that may flood. For sinks or toilets, there is often a handle to turn near the appliance. If you can’t locate that, you should have a main shut-off located somewhere in your house. If you are reading this now and do not know where those things are, you should stop what you are doing and locate them. Having that knowledge in place when something goes wrong will be a life (and money) saver. If you live in an apartment, your landlord should be able to show you where they are.

2) Call a Plumber After learning where your water shut-off valves are, you should also locate a 24 hour plumbing service in your area. A 24 hour plumbing service will be absolutely necessary in a middle of the night plumbing emergency. A plumber will show up with a drain camera and drainage solutions to use in handling any plumbing issues or plumbing repairs you may require. It may seem odd to think about finding a 24 hour plumbing service when there isn’t anything wrong, but thinking ahead will always pay off. As soon as you have stopped the water from continuing to flow, call the plumber.

3) Minimize the Water After you have shut off the water and called a plumber, you should next think about how to minimize the water that is getting into your home. Grab towels and old clothes that you can use to sop it up. If you have an industrial vacuum, start sucking up the water. Put out every fan you can find. Your priority should be getting everything dry as quickly as possible as you wait for the plumber to arrive.

4) Upgrade Your Equipment After the emergency ends, you should start thinking about upgrading your pipes and appliances. If your sewer lines are more than 40 years old, they could have enough damage to warrant replacement. While gradual wear or acts of nature can contribute to the damage, it is most often tree roots that cause sewer issues. Think proactively about getting this potential issue addressed.

5) Think Prevention If you have minor plumbing issues in your home, you should not delay in having them fixed. A leaky faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water every year and increase your utility bill by up to 10%. Not only will getting these things fixed as soon as possible save you money, but they will also help you keep your pipes and appliances in the best shape possible and avoid any middle of the night emergencies.