Advice for Emergency Situations

Advice for Emergency Situations

Emergency situations can arise even if you have a professionally fitted and well maintained installation. It is good advice to make yourself aware of what you should do in the event of an emergency in order to minimise the impact and the cost. This is the time between you discovering a leak, burst pipe or no power to lights or sockets or other electrical problem and before MJA Property Services Ltd arrives. The information provided below is presented in three emergency categories plumbing, electrical and gas.*

Plumbing Emergency

Always ensure that you know where the main stop tap is in advance of a leak, it is often located under the kitchen sink but in older properties may be in the cellar or other location. If you are unsure, take time to find it and then test it to make sure that is still functional. If the main stop tap allows water to pass call us and have it replaced. It is also a good idea to become familiar with the location of any gate valves, these usually have a round red handle and isolation valves, which can be either brass or chrome. Isolation valves have a slot on the body that can be turned with a flat screw driver to operate the valve. These valves may enable you to shut off a leak locally avoiding the need to turn the water off to the whole of the house.

Burst Pipes

Isolate the leak locally using isolation valves or turn the water off at the main stop tap. If the water does not stop flowing immediately, open all cold taps and flush the toilets. This will remove stored water. Do not open hot taps but turn off the central heating boiler and immersion heaters. If the water is flowing near to any electrical outlet or appliance turn off the supply at the consumer unit. Allow the fire to die out in any solid fuel boiler. Call MJA Property Services Ltd.

Electrical Emergency Contact

If someone is in contact with electricity do not touch them as you will also be electrocuted. Turn off the supply immediately at the main switch. If you are unable to do this push the injured party away from the supply with something which is non-conductive such as a long wooden brush handle. Call for an ambulance and administer first aid.

Non Contact

Most domestic electrical emergencies do not involve someone in the household coming into contact with the supply, but are caused when one of the safety features of the installation operates and cuts off the supply. Such as an RCD, circuit breaker or fuse. If an RCD has tripped on a socket circuit unplug all appliances and reset the RCD, if it trips again call MJA Property Services Ltd. If the RCD does not trip you can then plug the appliances back into the supply one by one, to see if one of the appliances has an electrical fault. If an RCD has tripped on a lighting circuit check to see if a bulb has blown and needs to be replaced before calling for an electrician. When you reset the RDC also check to see if a circuit breaker has tripped and reset it.

Circuit breakers (MCBs), cartridge fuses and fuse carriers using fuse wire are used widely across the UK to protect circuits against excessive currents that may overload the cable causing the conductors to overheat and potentially burnt. If you smell burning or notice that an electrical accessory has become over heated do not return power to the circuit and call for emergency assistance. Do not overload circuits by connecting too many appliances that use large amounts of electricity.

Remember keep a torch handy in case of an emergency at night, particularly if you have an older consumer unit that uses fuse wire.

Gas Emergency

Note: MJA Property Services Ltd is not able to provide Gas Safe fitters to attend emergency situations.

If you smell gas or think you may have a gas leak turn off the gas supply and contact Transco free on 0800 111 999. Transco maintain a 24 hour gas emergency service 365 days a year.

Five things to do in the event of a gas leak

Do Turn off the gas supply at the control valve
Do Put out naked flames
Do Open doors and windows
Do Keep people away from the area
Do Contact Transco on 0800 111 999 and report the leak

Two things not to do in the event of a gas leak

Do not Smoke or strike matches
Do not Turn electrical switches on or off

* The information presented above is intended as a first step guide and is neither definitive nor applicable in all emergency situations. Other sources of information should be sort to provide a broad perspective on what to do in the event of an emergency and professional advice should be sort in specific situations. No liability is accepted for loss or damage as a result of information provided on this website.