How long has it been since you've dealt with a plumbing issue? Have you ever had to have your plumbing system repaired? If you're extremely fortunate, you may never have had to deal with any plumbing issues in the past. Eventually, especially if you're a homeowner, something will need to be fixed in spite of your otherwise great luck. Because of this, it's a good idea to prepare for the possibility of something going wrong by making preparations now. It could be months or even a couple years before anything serious goes awry, but you'll still be ready for when it does.

Find a professional: There are many different types of plumbers and it helps to know exactly which type you're going to need to call before you actually call them. If you call a commercial plumber about your broken garbage disposal, you're only going to be wasting both your time and theirs. Some plumbers specialize in maintaining heating and cooling systems and have nothing to do with things like broken pipes or leaky toilets. Depending on your household, you may need to have the phone numbers of multiple plumbing companies available to get the fastest response for any possible issue that might arise.

Locate emergency cut-off valve(s): You don't want to wait until you have a plumbing issue currently ongoing before you learn where and how to turn off the water to your home. Leaving it for the plumber to locate and shut off is also no good. Since homes are all built differently, he or she may have problems locating it. Also, the longer you wait to shut down water when a burst pipe is leaking everywhere, the higher your repair bills will be. Test the valve every 3 or 4 months to make sure that it can be closed and that it is relatively easy to turn.

Be prepared for cleanup: Plumbing issues aren't always neat and tidy. A toilet isn't going to overflow with fresh clean water. It's going to be at least partially composed of raw sewage. In order to keep from contaminating the rest of your house, it's essential that you formulate some sort of containment and/or cleanup plan for both before and after the plumber arrives. This may include keeping some old and otherwise unusable towels on hand so that they can soak up the nastiness and then be thrown out as soon as possible. You'll also want to have some sort of sanitizing cleaner ready to kill any germs that might be present in the possible raw sewage.

Contact a plumber when you're ready to get started.