Questions · Leaks and pipes
What to do while you wait for a plumber
Stop the water at the nearest valve you can reach, and if that is not enough, close the main shutoff at the house. Switch off power to anything the water can reach. Do not pour chemicals in, do not keep running water into a backed up line, and photograph what you see.
Stop the water
- 01
Look for a shutoff at the fixture first: under a sink, behind a toilet, on top of the water heater
- 02
If there is none, or it will not turn, go to the main shutoff for the house
- 03
Know where that main shutoff is before you need it, because looking for it while water runs is the worst time
- 04
On a water heater, close the cold inlet and switch the unit off at the breaker or turn the gas control off
Make it safe
- Switch off power to any circuit water is reaching, at the panel
- Keep people out of a room where sewage has come back up
- If you smell gas at any point, leave the house and call the gas utility's emergency line or 911 from outside
- Move what you can off a wet floor, and get air moving once the water has stopped
What not to do
- Do not pour drain chemicals into a line that has stopped
- Do not keep using water when a main line is backing up
- Do not keep resetting a breaker that trips again
- Do not take a fixture apart if you are not sure you can put it back, because a half open job is worse than a closed valve
Useful to have ready
- Photos and a short video of what is happening
- When it started and what changed just before
- Whether anything has been poured in, and what
- Where the main shutoff is, so nobody has to hunt for it on arrival
From the job log
Work we’ve done
Answers
Where is my main shutoff?
In Valley homes it is usually on an outside wall near where the water comes in, often near a hose bib, and sometimes in a box by the street with the meter. It is worth finding on a calm day.
The shutoff will not turn. What now?
Do not force an old valve until it snaps. Tell us when you call, because it changes how the visit starts and it is a repair worth doing once the emergency is over.
Should I turn off the water heater?
If the water is coming from the heater, or the house water is off, yes. A gas unit goes to off or pilot; an electric one goes off at the breaker so an element is not left dry.
If you need this done
- Pipe and leak repairDamaged, corroded or leaking pipe repaired or replaced, including hidden leaks behind walls, with as little disruption as possible.
- Valves, hose bibs and water hammerShutoffs that won't turn, washer valves, outdoor hose bibs, and arrestors for pipes that bang when a valve closes.
- Water heater repairNo hot water, water that runs cold early, noises or a leak? We find the real cause and give you an honest call on repair versus replacement.
- Where we workEvery town and ZIP across the Valley we cover.
In-home estimate
Rather have someone look at it? Tell us what's going on
We come out, look at the problem and explain what it needs before any work starts. For something urgent, calling is fastest.
Rather talk? Call or text (602) 833-4133.