Frozen pipes may be somewhat common in the wintertime. If your pipes do freeze, you want to check and see if the pipes are busted or cracked. If your pipes are frozen, you can use a hair dryer to try and thaw out the pipes. However, if this will not work, you will need to call in a local plumber who may either try and thaw the lines out another way or they may just end up replacing the section of the line that is broken.
The wax ring is used to seal the drain outlet on the bottom of the toilet to the drain opening in the floor. When a toilet is installed, the ring is placed onto the drain... the toilet is dropped onto the ring... and the toilet bolts (also known as closet bolts) are tightened enough to lock the toilet in place. If that wax gasket ring starts to fail or isn't seated properly? Sewer gasses can sneak out from under your toilet causing your bathroom to have that suspicious smell. It can also cause water line repair to escape, sometimes invisibly, with each flush potentially damaging the floor hidden under the toilet.
Another obvious indicator is if the water you get is close to cold as ice, then your water heating device has already reached its maximum level of service. If it can talk, it might have been shouting at the top of its voice telling you it needs replacement.
Dirty waste water, after all, leaves your house following the law of gravity. Waste water goes downward to the sewer or septic tank, nice and easy. Behind this simple rule is the multitude of vents and traps to keep the process of waste removal possible. Vents allow air to fill drainpipes, precious air that allow waste water outflow. Traps are those curved S-shaped sections of the pipes under the sink drain. Traps perform a crucial role in forcing most of the water through the drainpipe, but leaving some to seal the area and prevent sewer gas from backing up.
The water line repair most likely damaged your electrical outlets and lighting fixtures. Have a qualified electrician come in to evaluate and repair the electrical.
From your own point of view, it is important that the plumber be trustworthy and credible. Ensure the plumber comes with at least two strong references which you can verify. This will help you be more secure and suffer less anxiety.
Once you've located the water shut off, turn it off. Now, you can turn your attention to trying to contain the water damage caused by any leaking. Get towels, fans, blankets, or anything else to try and sop up water that is sitting on carpet or wood floors. Linoleum floors usually don't undergo much damage from having water sitting on them, unless there are cracks in the linoleum (often invisible) where the water can seep in. When your Queens plumber arrives, you will be one step ahead by following these instructions.