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Plumbing emergencies can happen without warning. If the situation is really not an emergency, you’d be better off scheduling a plumbing service call during regular calling hours, as emergency fees are often priced higher than normal plumbing maintenance fees.

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

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

Without hot?

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

2.) Check burner switch. Usually located near your oven, it looks like a light switch with a red switch plate. 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 restart. If it triggers again, call for service.

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

There’s no water?

1.) Check the pump circuit breaker on the house panel. Restart once. If it triggers again, you can usually wait until morning to schedule a service call.

2.) Check the pressure tank gauge.

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

There is no hot water?

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

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

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

Leaking pipe?

1.) Close the main water valve or the 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 becomes saturated behind the rock plate or the carpet becomes soggy, mold can settle within 36 hours. Some plumbers provide emergency water extraction services, as well as mold repair and restoration. Don’t ignore a leaky pipe until you can fix it. It 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 in other sinks in the house. If all drains back up, then the source of the clog is in the soil pipe. Call for service to remove it. If it’s the toilet, immerse it. If it’s just a sink drain, check underneath for a clean trap. You can unscrew the plug at the bottom and take out the clog.

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