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You can remove air from your shower pipes in a few simple steps. Turn off the water at the main water supply and open all the faucets in your home, starting with those closest to the water supply and working away from those. Let the faucets run dry, then flush all the toilets in your home until there is no more water in them. From there, turn the water supply back on and let it flow for 10 to 15 minutes until the sputtering stops. To finish, turn off your faucets and flush your toilets in the reverse order.

If a pipe bursts in your home, the first step is to shut off the water supply as quickly as possible. You can often use a local isolation valve, such as the one under a kitchen sink, to cut off water to a specific area. However, if you cannot see the burst pipe or if it involves a large water supply line, using the main water supply valve is the best option to stop the flow. After the water is off, open all your faucets and flush the toilets to drain the pipes and relieve any remaining pressure. Finally, call a plumber to make an emergency repair.

While flooding is always cause for alarm, certain situations are considered more urgent than others. If there is water pooling anywhere in your basement, it’s time to call a local emergency plumber ASAP. Standing water in your basement could be from a plumbing leak or from cracks in your foundation—either situation can go from minor to major very quickly. On average, the cost to hire an emergency plumber ranges from $100 and $500, depending on the scope of the repair and when you call them—calling an emergency plumber on the weekend or on a holiday will cause the rate to jump.

A couple of components work together to control your shower's water pressure. A water pressure regulator, located near your main water shut-off valve, will control the pressure as water enters your home. From there, your shower valve does the heavy lifting. Other factors that impact water pressure include the type of showerhead you install (rain showerheads tend to have lower water pressure than traditional wall-mounted showerheads) and whether the local building code requires a flow restrictor.