Water where it should not be? The emergency line is answered by a person, 24 hours a day, every day of the year — and we will talk you to your shutoff before anybody gets in a van. Call 000-000-0000
Most of the damage from a plumbing emergency happens in the first twenty minutes, while somebody is looking for a phone number. So the first thing that happens on our emergency line is not an address and a card number — it is finding out whether water is running right now, and if it is, talking you to the valve that stops it.
That has saved more ceilings than anything else this company does, and it costs nothing. Then we tell you honestly whether you need somebody tonight or whether what you are describing will safely keep until the morning at half the price.
What counts as an emergency
These get somebody out tonight. Anything on this list, call rather than wait.
Water you cannot stop
A burst pipe, a failed supply line, a valve that has let go. Shut the main and call.
Water near electrics
Any water reaching a panel, a socket or a light fitting. Do not stand in it. Turn the power off at the panel only if you can reach it safely and dry, otherwise leave and call the utility.
Sewage backing up into the home
A health hazard as well as a plumbing one. Stop using every fixture in the house immediately — every flush makes it worse.
No water at all
Especially in freezing weather, where it usually means a frozen or burst line somewhere you cannot see.
A leaking water heater
Shut its cold inlet valve. A tank leak does not stop and the volume is substantial.
A smell of gas
Leave the building first, then call your gas utility's emergency number from outside. Do not operate switches. This is not a call to a plumber first.
Overflowing toilet you cannot stop
Shut the stop behind it. If there is no stop, shut the main.
What will safely keep until morning
We would rather tell you this than take an after-hours fee for it. All of these are cheaper in daylight.
A dripping faucet or a running toilet
Annoying and wasteful, not urgent. Shut its stop if it is bad and sleep.
One slow drain, with others working
Stop using that fixture. If every drain is slow, that is different — call.
A small drip from a joint, caught in a bucket
Shut the isolating valve if there is one, put a container under it, and book the morning.
A water heater that has stopped making hot water
Uncomfortable, not damaging, as long as nothing is leaking.
A noise you have never heard before, with nothing wet
Worth investigating promptly, not at two in the morning.
Find your shutoffs before you need them
Ten minutes on a quiet afternoon. The single most valuable thing in this whole website.
The main shutoff
Usually in the basement where the service enters the building, often beside or just after the meter. Turn it fully off and fully on once a year so it does not seize.
Fixture stops
Under every sink, behind every toilet. Check they turn — a seized stop is a five-minute job to replace now and a disaster later.
The water heater's cold inlet
On top of the tank. This one stops a leaking water heater refilling itself.
The washing machine valves
Behind the machine, and worth turning off between washes if they are old rubber hoses.
The outside taps
And their inside isolating valves, which is what you shut before a freeze.
Label them
With a tag, in plain language, so anybody in the house can find them at three in the morning. We do this free on every service-agreement inspection.
If you smell gas, leave the building and call your gas utility's emergency line from outside — do not operate switches on your way out. Never stand in water that has reached an outlet, an appliance or an electrical panel; cut the power only if you can do it safely from dry ground, otherwise leave and call the utility. General guidance on this page is not a substitute for a licensed plumber looking at your own building.
Questions
24/7 Emergency Plumbing — the questions we are asked most
Do you have a real 24-hour emergency plumber in Woodside, NY?
Yes. The line is answered by a person, every hour of every day, including holidays. It is not a message service and it is not a call centre in another state — the person who answers can look at the dispatch board and tell you when somebody will actually arrive.
What should I do first in a plumbing emergency?
Stop the water. The main shutoff is usually in the basement where the service enters the building, near the meter; individual fixtures have their own stops. If water is anywhere near electrical equipment, do not stand in it — cut the power at the panel only if you can do it safely and dry, otherwise get out and call the utility.
How much does an emergency plumber cost?
$175 flat for the after-hours call-out, quoted on the phone before we dispatch, plus the work itself which is quoted before it starts. Whole House agreement holders pay $95 and Total Care holders pay nothing for the call-out at any hour.
How fast can you get here?
Within western Queens, typically thirty to ninety minutes at night depending on what else is running. Active flooding, sewage in the home and total loss of water are prioritised over everything else, and households with young children, elderly residents or a medical need go first within that.
My basement is flooding. What do I do?
Shut the main. Do not enter standing water if it has reached any electrical outlet, panel or appliance — cut power at the panel only if you can do it safely from dry ground, otherwise leave the area and call the utility, then us. If it is sewage rather than clean water, stop using every fixture in the house immediately.
I smell gas. Should I call you?
Leave the building first and call your gas utility's emergency line from outside — do not operate light switches, do not use the phone indoors. The utility makes it safe. Call us afterwards for the repair once they have released the property.
Will you tell me if it can wait until morning?
Yes, and we do it several times a week. A dripping faucet, a running toilet or a single slow drain with everything else working is not worth an after-hours fee. That advice is free and it costs us a call-out, which is rather the point.
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Book a plumber, or call the 24-hour line
Tell us what the water is doing and we will tell you honestly whether it needs somebody tonight or whether it will keep until the morning. Diagnostics are $89 and credited in full against any repair you approve.