The Most Common Home Emergencies & What To Do

Broken, Leaking or Burst Hot Water System

If your hot water has stopped working or is leaking, follow these 3 simple steps.

1. Turn off the cold water tap at the inlet to the hot water system.

2. Isolate the electricity to the system at your switchboard. This should be labelled. If you have a gas system, turn off the gas supply.

3. Call one of our licensed plumbers to diagnose and repair the problem.

Power Outage

Power outages usually occur during or after severe weather. It’s a good idea to have some necessary supplies at hand, such as a torch, batteries and a power bank to charge your mobile.

Check your neighbours to see if they too are experiencing an outage. You can call Energex on 13 62 62 to check your area for outages.

Check your safety switches to see if they’ve tripped. In the case that the power outage was not caused by the weather, it may be due to a faulty appliance or wiring. If any of your safety switches are stuck in the off position after testing you will need a licensed electrician to determine the cause and repair the issue. Fallon Solutions licensed electricians are available 24/7.

During a power out, switch off all appliances and leave one light switch on to alert you when power is restored. Keep fridges and freezers closed as long as possible.

Blocked Toilet or Drain

If your toilet isn’t draining, do not continue to flush it. Try using a plunger to move the blockage. Create a tight seal with the plunger around the opening of the toilet. With careful force begin plunging. If you hear movement, remove the plunger and see if the water level returns to normal. If it doesn’t, it indicates a bigger problem! Call Fallon Solutions for one of our licensed plumbers to perform a drain clean and camera inspection to find the cause and determine the best solution for the blockage.

If your shower, sink or bath is taking longer than usual to drain it’s a sign of a blocked drain. If you can see the blockage you can attempt to remove it yourself using rubber gloves. Be careful of using too much drain cleaner or home remedies as they can damage pipe causing more issues than they solve. For blocked drains, it’s best to call on a specialist to provide the right solution.

Leaking Pipe, Tap or Toilet

Water leaks need to be repaired straight away, particularly if it’s pipework behind a wall in the ceiling. Our licensed plumbers can be there to attend a leak or burst within 24 hours. In the meantime, you can turn off your water to avoid damage to walls, ceilings or floors.

Tripping Safety Switch

If your power or one of your appliances or electrical attachments switches off it could be due to a safety switch being tripped. Tripping safety switches can be caused by either a faulty appliance, faulty wiring or could be an anomaly trip.

Unplug all appliances and test the safety switches. Plug appliances in, one by one, testing the safety switches each time. If the trip persists it indicates which appliance may be faulty. If it persists after all appliances are plugged in, it could be faulty wiring or a faulty switch causing the issue. Contact a Fallon Solutions electrician immediately. We have licensed electricians available 24/7.

Broken Air Conditioner

If your air conditioning is underperforming, leaking or making unusual sounds it could be any number of things. A proper diagnosis by an air conditioning technician is needed to diagnose the problem and provide the best solution. Air conditioning technicians are more like detectives when diagnosing, find out more about air conditioning fault diagnosis here – air conditioning repairs.

Regular maintenance can prevent most issues with your system and keep your air conditioning’s efficiency and air quality at its best. Our qualified air conditioning technicians recommend a service at least once a year for optimum performance, air quality and to maximise the lifespan of your system.

Fallon Solutions can help with almost any home emergency. If you are experiencing these, or any other issues, give us a call on 1300 712 028