Emergency Plumbing Action Guide: What To Do First

How to shut off the main water supply

Shutting off the water is the single action that limits damage the most. Find the valve before an emergency happens and make sure it turns.

1. Look for an interior shutoff first: a ball valve (lever) or gate valve (round handle) where the supply line enters the house, often in a garage, utility closet, or near the water heater.
2. In most South Florida homes on slab foundations, the shutoff is on an exterior wall near the front hose bib, or in the meter box near the street or sidewalk.
3. Turn a lever valve a quarter turn so it sits across the pipe. Turn a round handle clockwise until it stops — do not force a stuck valve, because old gate valves can snap.
4. If the house valve fails, open the meter box lid and turn the utility-side valve with a meter key or adjustable wrench. Some municipalities ask that only utility staff operate the meter valve; call your city water department if you are unsure.
5. Open the lowest faucet in the house and an outside hose bib to drain the remaining pressure out of the lines.
6. For a single fixture — toilet, sink, water heater — use the small angle stop valve behind or below it instead of shutting off the whole house.

What to do after a pipe bursts

1. Shut off the main water supply, then open a low faucet to drain the system.
2. Switch off the breakers serving any wet room before walking through standing water.
3. Turn off the water heater — an electric unit can be damaged if it runs without water; on a gas unit set the control to pilot or off.
4. Photograph and video everything before you move or remove anything; insurers ask for this.
5. Move furniture, rugs and electronics out of the water and start air movement once power is safe.
6. Request an emergency plumber and, if more than a small area is saturated, a water-damage restoration company.

What to do when a toilet will not stop overflowing

1. Take the tank lid off and push the flapper down by hand to stop water leaving the tank.
2. Lift the float so the fill valve stops refilling the tank.
3. Close the angle stop valve on the wall behind the toilet, turning it clockwise.
4. Do not flush again to 'test' it — each flush adds several gallons to the floor.
5. If other fixtures gurgle or back up at the same time, the blockage is in the main line, not the toilet, and needs a drain professional.

What to do when sewage backs up

Sewage backing up into a shower, tub or floor drain almost always means the main line is blocked rather than a single fixture. Treat the water as a biohazard.

1. Stop running every water-using fixture and appliance in the home, including the washing machine and dishwasher.
2. Keep children and pets out of the affected rooms and open windows for ventilation.
3. Do not pour chemical drain cleaner into a backed-up line; it sits in standing water and creates a burn hazard for the technician.
4. Wear gloves, eye protection and boots if you must enter the area, and wash thoroughly afterward.
5. Call a plumber for the blockage. If the backup is affecting a whole street or several neighbors, also report it to your city or county utility, which may own the failing segment.

What to do when a water heater leaks

1. Close the cold-water supply valve on top of the heater.
2. Turn off the energy source: the dedicated breaker for an electric heater, or the gas control valve for a gas heater.
3. Keep away from the unit if water is contacting electrical connections, and shut power off at the panel instead.
4. Attach a hose to the drain valve and route it to a floor drain or outside if the tank needs to be emptied.
5. Water escaping from the temperature and pressure relief valve is a safety signal, not a nuisance — stop using the heater and have it inspected rather than capping the discharge pipe.

What to do if water is coming through the ceiling

1. Shut off the main water supply and cut power to that room at the breaker.
2. Clear furniture and electronics from underneath and put down buckets and towels.
3. A bulging ceiling is holding water and can collapse. Standing to the side, pierce the lowest point of the bulge with a screwdriver over a bucket so it drains in a controlled way — only if you can do this safely from the floor or a stable ladder.
4. Note whether the water appears during rain (likely roof or window), when the air conditioning runs (likely a clogged condensate line), or independent of both (likely plumbing).
5. In a condo or apartment, notify building management immediately; the source is often in the unit above and access is their responsibility.

When electrical hazards mean you should stay out

Water and electricity together are the part of a plumbing emergency most likely to injure someone. Federal safety guidance is to never step into standing water to reach a panel or an appliance, and to assume flooded outlets, cords and appliances are energized until an electrician clears them.

• Standing water is touching outlets, cords, appliances, or a panel — stay out and call the utility or an electrician.
• You would have to stand in water to reach the breaker panel.
• You smell burning, hear buzzing, or see sparks near a wet area.
• Water is coming down through recessed lights or a ceiling fan; leave the switch off and stay clear.
• There is any gas odor — leave the building first and call the gas utility from outside.

When to call a plumber right now versus later today

• Call immediately: water you cannot shut off, a burst supply line, sewage in the home, no water at all, a leaking gas water heater, or water reaching electrical equipment.
• Same day: one fixture backed up while the rest of the house drains, a slow but visible leak you have isolated with a shutoff valve, or no hot water in an occupied home.
• This week: intermittent low pressure, a slow drain, a running toilet, or a fixture you rarely use.
• Slab-leak symptoms — a warm floor spot, running water sound with everything off, unexplained bill increases — should be diagnosed quickly even when nothing is visible, because the water is going somewhere.

When you also need water-damage help

Plumbers stop the water; restoration contractors dry the structure. Industry drying standards treat rapid drying as the way to prevent secondary damage, and mold can begin growing on wet building materials within roughly 24 to 48 hours — a short window in South Florida humidity.

• Water has spread under flooring, into walls, or into more than one room.
• The water was gray or black (dishwasher, washing machine, or sewage).
• Carpet, pad or insulation is saturated.
• Cabinets, baseboards or drywall have wicked water upward.
• Your insurer asks for documented professional mitigation — call them early, since many policies require prompt notice.

What information to have ready when you request help

Having these details ready shortens the call and helps the right professional accept the job the first time.

• Your address and ZIP code, and whether it is a house, condo, rental or commercial space.
• Whether the water is currently shut off, and whether you found the main valve.
• What is happening in plain language: which fixtures, how much water, how long.
• Whether power to the affected area is off.
• Whether anyone else in the building is affected.
• Access details: gate codes, dogs, parking, and who will be onsite.
• For condos and rentals, whether management or the owner has been notified.

What not to do

• Do not attempt repairs on gas lines, water heaters under pressure, or anything requiring the panel to be opened while standing in water.
• Do not pour chemical drain cleaner into a fully blocked line or a line with standing water.
• Do not run the washing machine or dishwasher to 'push through' a backup.
• Do not cap, plug or bypass a water heater relief valve.
• Do not remove wet drywall before photographing it if you plan to file a claim.
• Do not delay shutting off the water while you look for a plumber — stop the water first.