Plumbing emergency? Burst pipe, no water, sewer backup. We respond day and night. Call or Text (706) 669-5727
From the Field
Plumbing Emergency? What to Do in the First 10 Minutes
Something is leaking, flooding or backing up right now. Start at the top and work down. Each step protects you, then your house.
Short answer: Stay safe first, stop the water second, and call or text a plumber third. Most of the damage in a plumbing emergency comes from water that keeps running while you decide what to do.
- Smell gas or see water near the electrical panel? Get out or stay away, and call from a safe place.
- Water pouring from a pipe or fixture: close the shutoff for that fixture, or the main valve for the whole house.
- Sewer or toilet backing up: stop using every drain and toilet in the house.
- Take photos before you clean up. They help you and your insurance company.
- Call or text Ryan, (706) 669-5727. Text works when mountain cell service is weak.
Minute one: make sure everyone is safe
Water and electricity are a bad mix, so look around before you do anything else. If water is dripping onto a light fixture, spreading toward outlets or reaching the electrical panel, keep your family out of that room. Do not stand in standing water and touch anything electrical.
If you can reach the breaker panel without walking through water, turn off the breakers for the wet area. If you cannot reach it safely, leave it alone and tell the plumber and your power company what you are seeing.
If you smell gas, the plan is different. Do not flip switches, do not light anything, and do not use your phone inside the house. Walk outside, move away, and call from there. A propane or natural gas smell is not a wait-and-see problem.
Minutes two and three: stop the water
Running water does more damage every minute, so this is the step that matters most. Start small. A single toilet, sink or washing machine has its own shutoff valve close to the fixture. Turn it clockwise until it stops. If the leak is at that fixture, you are done with this step.
If the water is coming from inside a wall, from a pipe you cannot reach, or from somewhere you cannot find, shut off the main valve for the whole house. We wrote a separate walkthrough on how to shut off your water main, including where to look in a mountain home, so read that one before you ever need it.
After the main is off, open the lowest faucet in the house. That lets the pipes drain and takes the pressure off the leak.
On a well, the pressure tank keeps water in the pipes even after you close a valve. If the leak keeps going, turn off the breaker for the well pump so it stops refilling the tank. Our page on no water from a well explains what happens next.
Water running and you are not sure what to shut off?
Text Ryan a photo of the pipe or the room. He is a licensed Master Plumber, and he answers his own phone, day or night.
Minutes four and five: shut down the water heater if water is near it
A leaking water heater, or a leak close to one, needs two quick actions. First, close the cold water valve on the pipe that feeds the heater. Second, stop the heat. On an electric heater, turn off its breaker. On a gas or propane heater, turn the gas control to off or pilot.
Never leave an electric water heating element powered when the tank is empty or the unit is sitting in water. If you are unsure which breaker it is, turn off the whole panel only if you can reach it without standing in water. Read more on what a leaking water heater means.
Minutes six and seven: sewer backups and clogs are a different emergency
When a toilet gurgles, a tub fills with dirty water, or a floor drain backs up, the line is blocked past your fixtures. Water that you keep sending down has nowhere to go, so it comes up in the lowest spot in the house.
- Stop running water: no showers, no laundry, no dishwasher, no flushing.
- Keep kids and pets out of the wet area. Backed-up water carries germs.
- Do not pour chemical drain cleaner. It sits in the pipe, burns skin, and can splash when a plumber opens the line.
- On a septic system, tell Ryan. A backup in a house on septic can mean a full tank or a problem in the field lines, which is a different fix than a clog.
Our guides on signs of a clogged main sewer line and on a toilet backing up go deeper once the immediate mess is under control.
Minutes eight and nine: photos, then move what you can
Before you mop anything, take pictures and short videos. Show where the water came from, how far it spread, and what it touched. Include the shutoff valve you closed. Your homeowners insurance company will ask for this, and a plumber can often tell the cause from a photo.
Then protect what you can. Lift rugs, move electronics and papers off the floor, and put towels along the edge of the wet area. Do not try to lift soaked carpet or drywall yet. Wait until the source is stopped and you have your photos.
If water is coming through a ceiling, poke a small hole with a screwdriver in the lowest point of the bulge and set a bucket under it. A controlled drip is easier to manage than a ceiling that lets go all at once.
“Called at 6:30 pm on Friday night and they had water by 9:30. New water heater and a filter installed on the line coming in. Very professional. Highly recommended.”
Cheryl S., Google review, December 2025
Minute ten: call or text, and what to say
Now reach a plumber. Ryan is a licensed Master Plumber, he answers his own phone, and the business is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In the mountains, calls drop and texts go through, so a text is often the fastest way to reach him. If you can, send a photo with it.
A short message gets the best help. Say what you see, where in the house it is, whether you got the water off, and whether you are on a well or on a septic system. Add your town and the best number to call back.
- What happened and when you noticed it.
- Whether the main or the fixture shutoff is closed.
- Whether any water has reached outlets, the panel or the water heater.
- Well or public water, septic or sewer.
Ryan gives free estimates, so you will know the price before any work starts. See the emergency plumbing page for what that call looks like.
What can wait until morning
Not every plumbing problem needs a middle-of-the-night call. A dripping faucet, a toilet that runs, or a slow drain with no backup can usually wait for a normal visit. The test is simple: is water causing damage right now, and can you stop it with a valve?
If you closed the valve and the leak stopped, you have bought yourself time. Send Ryan a text with the details and he can tell you whether it needs a visit tonight or can be scheduled. If water keeps coming and you cannot stop it, or anything involves gas, sewage in the house, or water near electricity, call right away.
After the emergency: three things to do this week
- Learn where the main shutoff is, and test it so you know it turns.
- Label the breakers for the water heater and, if you have a well, the well pump.
- Save Ryan's number in your phone, and tell everyone in the house where the valve is.
A hidden leak is the one emergency you will not see coming. Our guide on how to find a hidden water leak shows what to check when a bill or a stain looks wrong.
Questions People Ask
Should I shut off the water main or just the fixture valve?
If the leak is at one toilet, sink or appliance, close the valve at that fixture. If water is coming from a wall, a ceiling, or a pipe you cannot reach, close the main valve for the whole house. When you are not sure, close the main.
Is it safe to turn off the breaker if the floor is wet?
Only if you can reach the panel without stepping in water. If you cannot, stay out of the wet area and call. Water near outlets or the panel is a reason to call right away.
What do I do if I smell gas?
Leave the house first. Do not flip switches or use your phone inside. Call from outside. Ryan handles gas leak detection and propane and natural gas lines, but safety comes before any repair.
Do I call my insurance company or a plumber first?
Stop the water and take photos first, then call a plumber to stop the damage. Call your insurance company soon after. Photos taken before cleanup make that call easier.
Can I use chemical drain cleaner on a backup?
It is best not to. Chemicals can burn skin, sit in a blocked pipe, and splash on whoever opens the line. Ryan clears drains mechanically, without chemicals.
Will Ryan answer if it is the middle of the night?
The business is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and Ryan answers his own phone. If a call does not go through because of weak cell service, send a text.
Related Reading
Water Still Running? Reach Ryan Now
Call or text, and send a photo if you can. Ryan answers his own phone, and a text works when cell service is weak.