Emergency plumbing services

Plumbing emergencies can happen without warning. If the situation is truly not an emergency, it would be in your best interest to schedule a plumbing service call during regular calling hours, as emergency rates are generally priced higher than normal plumbing maintenance fees.

A word of caution: If you have natural gas or propane and you smell gas in the house, turn off the main valve (where the gas enters the house) and call for service immediately.

These are the top five causes of a plumbing emergency. Here are some helpful troubleshooting tips to try before requesting after-hours service.

Without hot?

1.) Check the thermostat. Is it turned off or rejected?

2.) Check burner switch. It is usually located near your oven and looks like a light switch with a red plate on it. Sometimes this is turned off by mistake.

3.) Check your oil tank. Have you run out of oil?

4.) Check burner reset button. Oil ovens have a red reset button on the burner. Press to reset. If it trips again, call for service.

5.) Check the circuit breaker panel. Reset the breaker tripped only once. If it trips again, call for service.

There’s no water?

1.) Check the pump circuit breaker at the house panel. Reset once. If it goes off again, you can usually wait until morning to schedule a service call.

2.) Check pressure tank gauge.

3.) Check your checkbook! Did you pay your water bill?

No hot water?

1.) Check all hot water fixtures in the house.

2.) Check the circuit breaker in the house panel.

If you have an electric hot water tank, reset the circuit breaker. If it trips again, don’t restart. Call service. If you have a tankless coil water heater and heat with oil, follow the steps for “no heat”. If you have a gas hot water tank, do not reset the switch or relight the pilot. Shut off gas valve and call for service immediately.

Leaking pipe?

1.) Close the main water valve or gate valve on that broken pipe.

2.) Call for plumbing repair.

Note: A broken pipe does not necessarily require 24-hour emergency service. However, once an area behind drywall or carpet becomes saturated, mold can form within 36 hours. Some plumbers provide emergency water removal services as well as mold remediation and restoration. Don’t ignore a leaky pipe until you can fix it. You can create a much bigger problem the longer you wait!

Clogged drain?

1.) Identify the source of the obstruction. You can find the source by running water into other sinks in the house. If everything drains back, then the source of the blockage is in the drain pipe. Call service to remove it. If it’s the toilet, soak it. If it’s just a sink drain, check underneath for a cleanout trap. You can unscrew the plug at the bottom and pull out the clog.

2.) If all the drains are clogged or you cannot unclog the trap yourself, call your plumbing service. Do not use liquid plumber or similar products.