What to Do When You Have a Plumbing Emergency
The first few minutes decide how expensive the next few weeks are. Here is the order of operations.
35 years of licensed plumbing experience in the San Antonio area — 33 of them as a licensed Master Plumber and Responsible Master Plumber (RMP).
If You Smell Gas, Stop Reading and Leave
Leave the building immediately. From a safe location, call 911 and your gas utility.
Do not operate light switches, appliances, or anything that could create a spark. Do not wait for a plumber before evacuating.
Step One: Stop the Water
For a fixture leak, close the shutoff valve at that fixture — usually under the sink or behind the toilet.
For anything larger, find the main shutoff for the house and close it. If you do not know where your main shutoff is, the time to find out is before you need it. Go look right now; it takes two minutes.
Step Two: Kill the Power If Water Is Near Electricity
If water is near outlets, appliances, or a panel, do not wade into it. Shut off power at the breaker if you can do so safely, and stay out of the area if you cannot.
No plumbing problem is worth an electrocution risk.
Step Three: Contain and Document
Move what you can out of the water. Photograph the damage before cleanup — your insurer will want it.
If sewage is involved, avoid contact entirely and restrict access to the area.
What Not to Do
- Do not pour chemical drain cleaner into a backed-up line.
- Do not open walls, cut into flooring, or dig based on a guess about where the leak is.
- Do not keep running water to “flush it through.”
- Do not attempt gas line repairs yourself. Ever.
Then Call
Tell us what is happening, what you have shut off, and what you can see. We will tell you honestly what we can do and when. See emergency plumbing.
Something Happening Right Now?
Call (210) 494-0991. For anything urgent, phone is faster than any form.