Some plumbing problems can't wait until morning; others can. Knowing the difference saves you stress (and sometimes an after-hours bill). Here's how to sort it out.
Call right now if…
- A pipe burst or water is actively flooding. Shut off your main immediately, then call.
- Sewage is backing up into the house — it's a health hazard; stop using water.
- No water at all to the whole house.
- A gas smell near a gas water heater — leave and call your gas company first, then a plumber.
- A major leak you can't stop, or water near your electrical panel.
- A water heater leaking heavily from the tank.
Usually can wait until business hours…
- A single slow or clogged drain (and you still have other working ones)
- A dripping faucet or a running toilet (annoying and wasteful, but not urgent — shut off that fixture's valve)
- Low water pressure with no signs of a leak
- A small, contained drip you can catch in a bucket with the fixture shut off
The move that buys you time
For almost any water emergency, shutting off the water — at the fixture or the main — stops the damage and turns a crisis into a scheduled repair. That's why knowing where your shut-offs are matters so much.
When in doubt, just call
You don't have to diagnose it yourself. Describe what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it needs us right now or can wait — and we won't manufacture an emergency that isn't one.
Water where it shouldn't be and not sure how bad it is? give K2 a call — we'd rather talk you through it than have you guess.