When a huge storm rolls into your neighborhood, the power tends to go out. This might be caused by a tree falling on the lines, or a nearby generator blowing out. Either way, you’ll be struggling to calm down, especially after nightfall. But one of the biggest questions you’re bound to have is if you can still use your plumbing during a power outage. The short answer is that it depends.
Does Your Water Still Work?
Most of the time, your water should still run. This means that you can wash your hands, brush your teeth, and even shower if you want to kill time until the power comes back on. This only applies to customers who use the local water supply to bring them water though. Sometimes, customers will live in areas where their water comes from a well. Well pumps typically need a steady flow of electricity to keep running. So without that power, they can’t do anything.
What Won’t Work
Three things won’t work during a power outage. Depending on what you’re trying to do, this can be a massive inconvenience. For instance, water heaters will stop working. Even if your water relies on gas to heat up the water, it will still need some electricity to get going. This can be a problem with a tankless water heater, but if you have a tanked water heater, then you should be fine. Just be careful how much you end up using. Also, the sump pumps will stop working as well. If you are worried about your house flooding, then this is probably the time when your worst fears will come true. Without the sump pump running, you won’t be able to redirect all of the rain coming towards your home.
One more thing: your toilets could stop working. This doesn’t always happen, but when it does, it is pretty much the worst-case scenario. Under normal circumstances, all a toilet needs is some water and pressure provided by gravity. There are some models that require a pump to work, and that pump could have been knocked out by the power shorting out.
All of Your Plumbing Needs from Master Plumbing
Give Master Plumbing a call at (301) 650-9100 or contact us online to get more information on how our expert plumbers can help you with your dripping faucet (or just about anything else plumbing related!). We have received Angie’s List Super Service Award recognition for plumbing and drain cleaning every year since 2007, in addition to the Best Plumber award from Best of Bethesda. We are fully licensed, bonded, and insured, and our service is unparalleled. Give us a call today—you won’t regret it! To see examples of our projects, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.