Don’t panic over a weekend or holiday plumbing emergency
Most plumbing companies have plumbers available for emergency services on weekends and holidays.
You should expect to spend up to three times more for a plumber to work off hours, like on a weekend or holiday.
Maintain and inspect your plumbing system regularly to avoid surprises that warrant hiring a last-minute plumber.
Plumbing emergencies quickly turn into nightmares when plumbers are off-hours. A burst pipe, cascading leak, or massive malfunction may need immediate attention—but do plumbers work on weekends and holidays?
Good news: Most plumbing companies have on-call policies and plumbers who will handle your service over the weekend or during a holiday when necessary. However, these emergency visits will cost much more than usual plumbing services, so plan accordingly and look for ways to prevent unexpected plumbing problems.
The typical plumbing schedule does not include weekend or off-hours like late in the evening or very early in the morning. However, plumbing companies arrange schedules so that one or two plumbers are on call for emergency work. Professional plumbers know that some plumbing problems require immediate action and happen at inconvenient times.
If you need emergency plumbing help to resolve a burst pipe or a serious leak, seek out a local plumber or plumbing service that offers after-hours or emergency services. Visit your local plumber’s website to learn their 24/7 policies and find an emergency number to call.
If you have a plumbing emergency on Christmas, you’ll probably be able to find a plumber to come to your house—but be prepared to pay more. Local plumbers charge anywhere from one-and-a-half to three times their regular hourly rate for an emergency visit, plus additional fees. Expect to spend anywhere from $100 to $500 per hour in addition to a flat-rate emergency trip fee of $100 to $350.
The first step is to determine whether your plumbing mishap rises to the level of an emergency that warrants an immediate holiday house call. The following are signs of a plumbing emergency and warrant a call for a local plumber on Christmas:
Sagging ceiling with water stains
Damaged or burst pipes
Water heater leaks or failure
Overflowing toilets
Sewer system backups
Sump pump failure
Major leaks
If you notice any of the above problems, try turning the fixture off to prevent further damage before the emergency plumber arrives. Look under the sink or toilet for the shutoff valve, and for larger issues, you may need to turn off the home’s main water line.
If you can survive without the use of that fixture, you can wait and call a plumber to visit during working hours to help save as much money as possible. But don’t hesitate to invest in emergency plumbing services for major issues and pressing problems.
To prevent plumbing issues that can’t wait for a fix, there are several maintenance practices that can help keep you from getting caught off guard.
Some plumbing emergencies can be difficult to notice, but in many cases, you can catch them early by monitoring your water pressure and temperature. If your water pressure suddenly lowers or water isn’t heating well, it’s time to shut things down and conduct an inspection. Often, you can find problems and arrange for a plumber visit before issues grow into a catastrophe.
Cracked and burst pipes are one of the most infamous plumbing emergencies. Keep an eye on the weather forecast during the winter. Watch for low temperatures expected to fall below 20 degrees Fahrenheit overnight. Open up sink cupboards to let warmer air circulate through, and turn faucets on a small, cold drip to keep water flowing. Check that your pipes are properly insulated if necessary.
It’s best to catch small leaks before they turn into major issues like soaking floors, walls, and ceilings. A few times per year, check your plumbing system for any unnoticed drips in your piping. Position a bucket below the drip, and schedule a plumbing appointment during working hours to save money. If you notice any surprise stains or brown marks on walls or ceilings, it’s time to hire a plumber for a full review.
Most plumbing problems can wait a day or two as long as you know how to shut off water to your home. Every home has a water main where the water line enters the house, usually in the front yard, basement, or garage. Knowing how to locate the water shut-off valve and shut it down quickly can stop massive leaks before they spread.
Avoid plumbing stress by following these tips to keep your house free from plumbing disasters this holiday season.
The best way to avoid a plumbing emergency on a holiday is to conduct maintenance check-ups and ensure your systems are working properly before guests arrive. Inspect your home beforehand to catch any warning signs, such as a slow shower drain or garbage disposal with a weird noise. If you notice any potential problems, call a plumber to look into the issue and solve it before the holidays.
With Christmas and the holidays comes additional food preparation and new visitors working in your kitchen. This increase in meals and new people can lead to garbage disposal mistakes that destroy your sink or garbage disposal.
There are certain items you should never put in your drain or garbage disposal, such as bones, chicken or turkey skin, egg shells, coffee grounds, fats and oils, grease, vegetable peels, and tough, fibrous vegetables like pumpkin, rhubarb, and celery. Ask guests to use the garbage can for most food disposal. If you need to use the garbage disposal, let water run before, during, and after so the food can travel down the drain.
Holidays bring a lot of new guests into your home, and some may have different habits when it comes to flushing items down the toilet. Keep a trash can visible in your bathroom and empty it regularly so guests are encouraged to dispose of makeup wipes, baby wipes, and other non-flushable items. Politely remind your visitors to flush only toilet paper or waste and to dispose of other items in the trash.
If you’re traveling for the holidays, it may be tempting to turn down the thermostat, but hold off. If you live in an area where freezing temperatures are common around Christmas, a low temperature or lack of heating in your home can cause pipes to freeze. Maintain a temperature of at least 55 degrees Farenheit to keep your home adequately heated and safe from freezing pipes.
Almost all plumbers have emergency service options and 24/7 numbers you can call for service during off-hours like in the evening. But be careful before you dial: Plumbers will charge extra fees for off-hour services, even if the cost isn’t quite as high as a weekend visit. Expect to pay around 1½ times more than the usual rates for plumbers in your area for off-hour calls.
When it comes to weekday work, the busiest days for plumbers are Monday and Tuesday. Part of the reason is that people discover plumbing problems over the weekend but wait for weekdays to help save money.
As for the busiest day ever, many plumbers point to “Brown Friday,” their nickname for the day after Thanksgiving. A day of guests, lots of food, and unfamiliar bathrooms can often lead to plumbing disasters, making that Friday a hotspot of emergency plumbing work. Follow our holiday tips above to avoid becoming a statistic.
Plumber schedules can vary. Many plumbing companies follow a traditional five-day work week, and schedule plumbers so that someone is available during working hours. However, some plumbers choose a four-day work week and take a day off, usually Friday. In these cases, Friday work counts as weekend work and will incur the same extra charges.
A plumbing emergency is a problem beyond your control that’s threatening to severely damage your home. That type of issue can include major leaks, burst pipes, or an out-of-control water heater that won’t stop heating the water. Sewage problems, like sewage backups that force septic tank gases into the house, can also count as an ASAP emergency.
