During the day, sinks clog and toilets overflow. Sprinkler systems malfunction, city inspectors find code violations, and there’s no water pressure. From the moment the sun comes up until the work day ends, there’s something going wrong somewhere with someone’s plumbing. For some reason – perhaps because it would be convenient or pleasant – most homeowners would prefer to have their plumbing challenges occur and be addressed during daylight hours. But more often than not, plumbing problems happen in the middle of the night.
Why does this happen? As a 24 hour Manhattan plumber, we have some insights we’d like to share. The first is that plumbing problems don’t necessarily occur during the middle of the night – that’s just when the issue is discovered by the homeowner. Think about it: if you’ve been out of the home all day, going to work, picking up the kids, getting some dinner, maybe running an errand or two – it’s going to be pretty late by the time you get home and learn that the toilet has backed up.
Other plumbing problems actually do occur more often in the middle of the night. Frozen and burst pipes are a prime example. Temperatures tend to go down overnight; if it has been cold or close to freezing throughout the day, it will be colder at night. Pipes that are exposed to the elements or insufficiently insulated are most prone to freezing. If your pipes have frozen, do not attempt to thaw them yourselves using a torch – this is extremely dangerous and you could easily wind up setting your house on fire! Instead, call your 24 emergency plumber and they will address the issue. It’s important to know that leaks can often develop if pipes freeze but don’t burst: be prepared to have these repaired promptly to keep your property from being damaged.
