Nobody wants to wake up in the middle of the night to find their basement flooding. Nobody wants to flush the toilet and have the wastewater spew all over the floor. But these things happen from time to time, and when they do, emergency plumbers are there to help you. Here are some tips to follow when you have to call one.

1. Look at hours before you call.

Some plumbers offer emergency service, but only during certain hours. Other plumbers offer emergency services 24 hours a day. You don't want to waste time trying to get on the line with a company that's not open. So check hours before calling a particular plumber. You should not assume that "emergency" always means "emergency at any time of the day or night" as this is not always the case in the plumbing industry.

2. Leave a message if you get a machine.

If nobody picks up when you call the emergency plumber, your instinct may be to assume they are not available, hang up the phone, and call someone else. But some emergency services actually rely on their answering machine to filter messages. If you leave a message, it may immediately get forwarded to a plumber who will call you back. This simply helps keep the plumber from getting all sorts of unwanted and prank calls at odd hours. Only serious customers will leave a message. 

If the plumber you call does not call back within 10 minutes of you leaving the message, then you should move on and call another one. 

3. Ask for instructions to follow until the plumber's arrival.

When you do get a plumber on the line, describe what is wrong and establish when they can come out. But then, before you hang up the phone, ask what you can do to manage the problem in the meantime. Some plumbers will offer up this advice without you asking, but it's best to ask to be sure! The plumber may tell you to turn off certain valves, call the electrical company, soak up water in certain areas, or take other measures that will help minimize damage while they make their way to your home.

Emergency plumbers play an important role in society, and their services are essential when you have a watery disaster. With the tips above, you can be prepared for making the right, productive call to that emergency plumbing service.