Plumbing Emergency: What to Do First (Before the Plumber Arrives)

The first five minutes determine how much damage you'll be cleaning up. This guide covers the four types of plumbing emergencies and the exact steps for each — so you're doing the right things while you wait for the plumber.

The four types of plumbing emergencies

Most plumbing crises fall into one of these categories. Each requires a different immediate response. Jump to the one that matches your situation:

1. Burst or leaking pipe — water spraying or pooling from a pipe
2. Sewage backup — water coming up from drains, toilet overflow, sewage smell
3. No water at all — entire house has zero water pressure
4. Gas smell from a plumbing fixture — odor near water heater, stove, or gas lines

1. Burst or leaking pipe

Water is actively spraying, pouring, or flooding from a pipe. Every second the main stays on is more water damage.

Step 1: Shut off the main water supply

Find your main shutoff valve and turn it clockwise until it stops. This cuts water to the entire house. Do this first — before calling anyone.

Step 2: Open a faucet on the lowest floor

After shutting the main, open a basement or first-floor faucet to drain pressurized water still in the lines. Less pressure means less water reaching the break.

Step 3: Move electronics and valuables

Get anything off the floor and away from the water's path. Electronics first. Take photos of all water damage before you move anything — your insurance adjuster needs them.

Step 4: Call a plumber

Now call. With the water off, you're no longer in a race against flooding. Describe the pipe location, whether you've shut the main, and what type of pipe it appears to be (copper, PVC, corroded steel).

How to find your main water shutoff

The location varies by house type. Find yours now, before you need it in a panic:

Basement homes (most common): Look on the front-facing interior wall of the basement, near where the foundation meets the wall. The water line enters from the street on that side. The shutoff valve is usually within a few feet of where the pipe comes through the foundation.
Crawlspace homes: The shutoff may be under an access hatch, near the foundation perimeter, or at the pressure tank if you're on a well.
Slab foundation homes: Check near the water heater, in a utility closet, or in the garage. Some slab homes have the shutoff near the exterior hose bib.
Condos and apartments: You likely don't control the building main. Look for an in-unit shutoff valve in your utility closet or behind the water heater. Call building management for anything beyond that.

Gate valves (round wheel handles) are older and may require many turns. Ball valves (lever handles) close in a quarter turn. If the valve hasn't been turned in years, it may be stiff or partially seized — turn firmly but don't force it to the point of breaking the stem.

There's also a shutoff at the street (the curb stop), usually inside a covered box flush with the sidewalk or lawn. This requires a special "curb key" tool and is typically operated by the water utility — not a homeowner tool, but your plumber can use it if the house shutoff is broken or inaccessible.

2. Sewage backup

Water coming up from floor drains, a toilet that's backing up with dark water, or a sewage smell from multiple drains at once. This is a sewer line problem, not a clog in a single drain.

Do this immediately:

Stop running any water. Don't flush toilets, run sinks, use the washing machine, or run the dishwasher. Every drain you add puts more volume into a backed-up sewer line and makes the overflow worse.
Keep people out of the affected area. Sewage contains bacteria, viruses, and pathogens. Don't let children or pets wade through backed-up water. Avoid skin contact.
Don't use chemical drain openers. They won't reach a sewer line blockage and will make the cleanup more hazardous.
Ventilate if possible. Open windows near the backup to clear methane gas, which accumulates with sewage backups and in high concentrations is a health hazard.
Call a plumber who specifically handles sewer lines. Not all plumbers carry a sewer snake or jetter — ask before they arrive.

What NOT to do:

Don't attempt to plunge a toilet if other drains are also backing up. The blockage is downstream of the toilet — plunging won't help and may force sewage further into the house.
Don't use a wet/dry vacuum on sewage water without understanding that the tank will be contaminated and must be properly disinfected.
Don't delay calling. Sewage backups worsen rapidly with any additional water use. Hours of delay means more cleanup and greater health risk.

Health risks to know:

Sewage contains fecal bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella), viruses (Hepatitis A, norovirus), and parasites. Any porous material that contacts sewage water (carpet, drywall, insulation, wood) must be removed and discarded, not dried in place. Hard surfaces require disinfection with bleach solution. If the backup is significant, a professional remediation company — not just a plumber — is needed for the cleanup phase.

3. No water at all

Entire house has no water pressure. Run through this checklist before calling a plumber — some causes are simple to resolve yourself.

Check the water meter

Is the meter moving at all? If the dial is frozen, there may be no supply reaching the house. If it's spinning rapidly with no water on, you may have a break downstream of the meter.

Check whether neighbors have water

If multiple neighboring houses are also out, it's a municipal water main issue — call your water utility, not a plumber. Their outage line can confirm and give an ETA.

Check your main shutoff

If someone else in the home (or a recent visitor) accidentally bumped it, the shutoff may be partially or fully closed. Locate it and confirm it's fully open (counterclockwise or lever parallel to the pipe).

Check for frozen pipes (winter)

In freezing weather, exposed pipes in uninsulated crawlspaces, exterior walls, or garages can freeze solid. Turn on all faucets slightly — if thin flow comes from some but not others, you likely have a freeze. Don't try to thaw with open flame; use a hair dryer or heating tape on accessible pipe sections.

Check your pressure regulator

If you have some water but it's barely a trickle everywhere, the pressure regulator (a bell-shaped device on the main line after the shutoff) may have failed. A plumber can replace it; expect $200-450 for the part and labor.

Well systems: check the pump

If you're on a well, check the circuit breaker for the well pump. A tripped breaker is common after a power surge. If the breaker is fine, the pressure tank may have lost its charge, or the pump may have failed — call a well service company.

4. Gas smell near plumbing

Natural gas and propane both smell like rotten eggs or sulfur (that odor is added deliberately so you can detect leaks). A smell near a water heater, gas stove, or any plumbing fixture is a potential emergency — and the response is different from a water emergency.

Do this immediately — in this exact order:

Leave the house now. Don't delay to gather belongings. Don't let anyone linger. Get everyone out including pets.
Do not flip any light switches, use appliances, or operate any electrical device. Gas mixed with air can ignite from a single spark. This includes your phone — step outside before calling anyone.
Do not open or close any gas valves. Unless you can see an obvious valve directly at the appliance and the smell is localized there.
Leave the front door open as you exit to allow some ventilation, but don't open windows (another chance for a spark if you have old electrical switches on the walls).
Call your gas utility from outside. Not a plumber. The gas company has emergency responders and detection equipment. They come first, they declare it safe, and then a licensed plumber handles any fixture repair.
Do not re-enter until the gas company clears the house.

What a plumber handles:

After the gas utility locates and stops the leak, a licensed plumber repairs or replaces the faulty fixture, connector, or gas line section. In some jurisdictions, a licensed gas fitter (who may also be a plumber) is required for this work. Ask whether your plumber holds a gas work license if gas line repair is needed.

If the smell is faint and you're unsure:

Still leave and call. A "faint" gas smell can mean a slow leak that's been building up in an enclosed space. The cost of a false alarm is the gas company's time. The cost of ignoring a real leak is not something you want to find out.

What to tell the plumber when you call

A well-briefed plumber arrives with the right parts and tools. Give them this information upfront and you'll save time and possibly money.

The emergency in one sentence

"Burst copper pipe in the basement," "sewer backing up into the basement floor drain," "no water anywhere in the house." Specific beats vague.

Whether you've shut the main

Tell them if the main is off. It changes whether they need to work fast and what they should bring. If you couldn't find or close the shutoff, say that too.

Your home type and age

House vs condo vs apartment. Approximate year built. Pre-1970 homes often have galvanized steel or cast iron pipe — a plumber arriving prepared for copper wastes time. Older homes also have lead solder and clay sewer lines to account for.

Whether multiple fixtures are affected

One fixture affected = isolated problem. Multiple drains or no water building-wide = main line or service line. This tells the plumber whether to bring a standard snake or a sewer jetter.

Emergency plumbing cost context

Knowing the numbers before you call prevents surprises and helps you push back if a quote is out of range.

After-hours surcharge: $100-200 on top of the regular service call, just for coming out evenings, weekends, or holidays. This is standard — not price gouging. The same job at 2 PM on Tuesday costs less than at 2 AM on Saturday.

Emergency hourly rate: $150-250/hour for after-hours work, versus $80-150/hour during business hours for the same labor.

Burst pipe repair: $300-500 for a simple, accessible copper repair. $700-1,500 if it requires opening a wall. Ask for the estimate before they cut drywall.

Sewer backup (emergency unblock): $300-600 to snake or jet the sewer line and restore drainage. This is not a permanent fix if root intrusion or a collapsed pipe is the cause — that's a separate repair quoted as a project.

When you must get a written estimate: NJ consumer law requires a written estimate before work begins on any job over $500. You should ask for one on any job. Any plumber who refuses to estimate before starting work on a non-emergency (i.e., once the flooding is stopped) is a red flag.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn off water to just one fixture?

Every toilet has a shutoff valve on the wall or floor behind it — turn clockwise to close. Sinks have shutoffs under the cabinet, one for hot (left) and one for cold (right). Washing machines have hot and cold shutoffs on the wall behind them. Closing these lets you isolate a single fixture while keeping water running to the rest of the house.

How do I find my main water shutoff?

In most homes, the main shutoff is in the basement on the front-facing interior wall, near where the water line enters from the street. In crawlspace homes, it may be under an access hatch near the foundation. In slab homes, check near the water heater or in a utility closet. The valve is either a gate valve (round wheel, requires multiple turns clockwise to close) or a ball valve (lever, closes in a quarter-turn). Do a test run now so you know exactly where it is before a crisis.

What information should I give the plumber when I call?

Type of emergency (burst pipe, sewage backup, no water), whether the main is shut off, home type and approximate age, whether the problem affects one fixture or the whole house, and any visible pipe material you can identify. This lets them arrive with the right parts and know what to expect.

How much does an emergency plumber cost?

After-hours calls typically include a $100-200 dispatch surcharge plus $150-250 per hour for emergency-rate labor. A complete emergency visit usually runs $300-800 depending on what's needed. Major repairs (in-wall pipes, sewer lines) are quoted as separate projects. Get an estimate before work begins beyond stabilization.

Will my homeowner's insurance cover a plumbing emergency?

Most policies cover sudden-and-accidental water damage — meaning the cleanup, drying, and damaged contents from a burst pipe. They typically do not cover the plumbing repair itself. Gradual leaks (a slow drip you should have noticed) are almost never covered. Call your insurer the same day as the emergency, document everything with photos, and don't discard damaged materials until an adjuster has seen them.

Can I turn off a frozen pipe or thaw it myself?

You can carefully thaw an accessible frozen pipe using a hair dryer, heat gun on low setting, or heating tape — starting from the faucet end and working toward the frozen section so steam can escape. Never use an open flame (torch, space heater aimed at a wall, etc.) — house fires from frozen pipe thawing attempts are common. If you can't locate or safely access the frozen section, call a plumber. If the pipe has already burst, shut the main first.

What's the difference between a plumbing emergency and something that can wait?

Emergency: active flooding, sewage actively backing up, zero water to the whole house (especially in winter), or gas smell. Not emergency: slow drain that still drains, dripping faucet, toilet that runs intermittently, low pressure in one fixture, water heater producing lukewarm water (in summer). If it can wait until 8 AM, wait — you'll pay $100-200 less by avoiding the after-hours surcharge.