What to Do in the First 10 Minutes of a Plumbing Emergency

Plumbing emergencies rarely pick a convenient time. A supply line lets go at 2 a.m. A toilet backs up the evening before guests arrive. Water finds its way through a ceiling on a holiday weekend. Panic is the natural response, and it's also the thing that costs people the most.

What follows is a simple order of operations. You won't fix the problem yourself, and you shouldn't try to. The goal in the first ten minutes is to stop the damage from spreading, keep everyone safe and give the plumber a clear picture when they arrive.

Minute one: stop the water

Find your main water shutoff and close it. Do this before anything else if water is actively pouring from a pipe. In most Texas homes the main shutoff is a valve near the water meter at the street, or a valve where the line enters the house, often in a garage, utility room or crawlspace. Turn it clockwise until it stops. Some are a round wheel, others are a lever that turns a quarter turn.

The best time to find that valve is not during the emergency. If you've never located yours, spend five minutes this week finding it, check that it turns, and make sure everyone in the house knows where it is.

If only one fixture is the problem, such as a toilet, a sink or a washing machine, there's usually a smaller shutoff valve right at the fixture. Closing that one keeps the rest of the house running.

Minutes two and three: take care of the water heater and power

If the leak is near the water heater, or you think hot water is involved, turn the heater off. On an electric unit, flip its breaker. On a gas unit, turn the gas control to its pilot or off position, following the label on the unit. A heater that keeps firing with no water supply can be damaged or become a hazard.

If water is near outlets, appliances or the electrical panel, stay out of it. Do not wade through standing water to reach a breaker. If you can reach the panel while staying dry, shut off power to the affected area. If you can't, leave it alone and tell the plumber when you call.

And if you smell gas at any point, the plumbing problem takes second place. Get everyone outside, don't flip switches, and call from outside the house.

Minutes four through six: limit the spread and take photos

With the water off, deal with what's already loose. Move rugs, electronics and anything valuable out of the wet area. Towels and a mop can hold back a small spill. A wet vac helps if you have one. Open a faucet at the lowest point of the house to drain what's left in the pipes, which relieves pressure and reduces how much more can leak out.

Before you clean up too much, take photos and a short video. Capture the source, the water line on walls, damaged belongings and the shutoff you closed. This helps the plumber understand what happened, and if the damage ends up involving an insurance claim, a record made at the moment counts for a lot.

Minutes seven through ten: make the call

Call a plumber who works around the clock. PrimeTime Plumbing is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at (903) 707-1503. Tell them what you see: where the water is coming from, whether you've shut off the main, and whether it's clean water, sewage or something you can't identify. Say if there's a gas smell. Say if anyone in the house is elderly, very young or unwell, since that affects how urgent the visit is.

PrimeTime says its technicians typically arrive within the hour, depending on where you are. Across the wide spread of East Texas towns it covers, that varies, so ask for an honest estimate of arrival when you call.

What counts as a real emergency

• A burst or leaking pipe you can't stop with a fixture shutoff
• Sewage backing up into tubs, showers or floor drains
• A water heater leaking from the tank, or no hot water combined with water on the floor
• Any gas smell, or a suspected gas leak
• Flooding that's reaching walls, floors or electrical equipment

A dripping faucet or a slow drain can wait until morning. Water you can't stop, sewage and gas cannot.

What to hold off on

Don't keep running fixtures in a house with a suspected sewer backup. Don't pour chemical drain cleaners into a line that's already overflowing. Don't try to cut into or patch a pressurized line on your own. And don't assume that once the water stops, the problem is over. Frequent emergencies often signal a deeper issue such as corroded or aging pipe, and a proper inspection after the dust settles can find it before the next one.

PrimeTime Plumbing handles emergency plumbing for homes and businesses in Bullard, Tyler and the towns around them. If something has gone wrong tonight, shut the water off and call (903) 707-1503.