Common Home Emergencies and How to Deal with Them
- Written by Diana Smith
According to a survey by a home insurance provider, 59% of respondents have admitted to experiencing a home emergency that called for intervention from professional services, such as a plumber or electrician. While not as serious as having your home damaged by an earthquake, fire, flood, or a disastrous weather event, household emergencies can cause a lot of inconveniences, not to mention unexpected costs and waste of time.
Locked out of home
Probably the most embarrassing inconvenience on the list, 1 in 3 people admit to being locked outside at one point, either by themselves or someone else. These situations often occur in the most inconvenient times, when taking out the rubbish or after a late night out. To make the matter worse, people are regularly getting locked out while wearing pyjamas, underwear, or nothing at all. In the era of social media and photo sharing, you don’t want to go viral that way. Apart from having a number of a local emergency locksmith, you can give a spare key to a trustworthy neighbour, or have one stashed in a secret place other than under the doormat, in a flowerpot, mailbox, or on a window ledge.
Power blackout
Statistically, the majority of power failures are caused by storms, so there isn’t much you can do to prevent them. The best way to reduce the impact on your household routines is to be prepared, especially since in those case there’s no telling how long you’ll be in dark. If there’s a violent storm coming your way, clean up tripping hazards like outdoor furniture and gardening tools, as well as the branches that could fall on your power lines. Make sure your family knows where to find circuit breakers and controls like a manual release for the garage door. Stock candles and bottled water, as well as food that doesn’t need refrigerating.
Damaged roof, gutter or downpipe
Repairing a damaged roof is often an expensive project, which should be handled by licensed professionals only. The same goes for torn out or broken gutters and downpipes. Luckily, if you live in an area that is prone to coast cyclones, such as the Australian east coast, there is never a shortage of quality local professionals for downpipe fittings and repairs in Sydney who can give you a quote free of charge, or in an emergency, repair your downpipe drain without delay. On the other hand, if a gutter or a downpipe is simply clogged, you can fix the problem on your own. Leaves are the most probable cause, as they build up over time, blocking the access to your drainage. Keep in mind that unless you keep your gutters clean, your insurance claim for overflowing, water, mould or structural damage might be forfeit.
Gas leak
Leaking gas can be a quite dangerous scenario, as a flame or even a spark in an enclosed area can cause a fire or an explosion. If you smell gas or suspect there’s a gas leak, make sure to open all the doors and windows to air out the room. Under no circumstances turn anything electrical on or off, as the spark that breaks or establishes the circuit is enough to catch blaze. Proceed outside and turn off the gas supply at the meter and contact your licensed gas fitter about the repairs. Keep in mind that as a homeowner, you are responsible for maintaining the gas installation in your home, and due to the volatile nature of gas, also indirectly responsible for the people around you.
While we can't predict or change the weather, there are many home emergency scenarios we can either avoid or lessen their impact. In both cases, a good preparation and is the key, as quality materials and fittings that are used today guarantee long service life for home installations and systems, provided they are maintained properly.
