Emergency plumbers (24-hour)

First, while you wait

1. Stop the water. Turn off the shut-off valve at the fixture if there is one; if not, the main shut-off, usually where the water line enters the house or by the meter.
2. If water is near outlets, appliances or a ceiling light, keep clear and turn off the electricity to that area at the breaker panel if you can reach it safely.
3. For a leaking water heater, turn off its cold-water supply, and its power or gas.
4. For a sewage backup, stop using every sink, toilet, shower and the washing machine until it is cleared — whatever goes down comes back up at the lowest drain.
5. Take photos for your insurer before you start cleaning up. If sewage is involved, CDC advises rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles for the cleanup, and discarding drywall and insulation that sewage has soaked (CDC).

If you smell gas, do none of the above. Federal pipeline-safety guidance from PHMSA is to leave the area on foot immediately, not try to find the source, not use phones or switch anything on or off, and call 911 and the gas company once you are somewhere safe.

Is it an emergency?

It usually is when water is escaping and you cannot stop it, when it is reaching wiring or a ceiling, when sewage is coming into the house, or when you have lost the only working toilet or all hot water in freezing weather. Angi’s list of common plumbing emergencies covers ruptured pipes, a sagging ceiling, a leaking or failed water heater, an overflowing toilet with no second bathroom, sewer backups, a failed sump pump, gas leaks and other major leaks (Angi).

It usually can wait until morning when you can shut off the one fixture involved — a leaking faucet with a working valve under the sink, a clogged toilet when there is a second bathroom, a slow drain. After-hours rates are worth paying to stop damage, not for a repair that can wait a few hours.

Common plumbing emergencies

• Burst or split pipe, often after a freeze or where an old fitting gives way.
• Sewer or main drain backup, with water rising in a shower or floor drain when a toilet is flushed.
• Water heater leaking from the tank itself — a tank that leaks from the body, not from a fitting, normally needs replacing.
• Sump pump failure during heavy rain.
• Overflowing toilet with no other bathroom in the house.

A plumber on an emergency call will usually stop the damage first and may come back in normal hours for the permanent repair. Ask which you are getting: a temporary clamp or cap is fine at 2 a.m., as long as you know a proper repair is still due.

What to ask before they come out

• What is your after-hours rate or emergency fee, and is there a minimum charge?
• Is the call-out fee credited against the repair?
• How soon can you get here?
• Are you licensed in this state, and insured?
• Is tonight’s fix temporary or permanent, and what will the permanent one involve?
• Will the job need a permit (a water heater replacement often does)?

A business that answers the phone at night is not automatically a good one. The licence check takes a minute on your state board’s website, even while you wait.

What drives after-hours pricing

Emergency work costs more than the same repair booked in advance. What moves it:

• Timing — evenings, weekends and holidays are usually priced higher than weekdays.
• A flat emergency or trip fee on top of labour, or a one- or two-hour minimum.
• The repair itself: a split supply line, a main-line clog and a water heater replacement are very different jobs.
• Parts on hand. A plumber who has to fetch a part at night may charge for the trip, or fit a temporary repair and return.

24 Hour Plumbers cost guide: the factors pros price on →

Know these before you need them

• Where your main water shut-off is, and that it turns. A valve that has not moved in years can seize; have a plumber replace it on a normal day.
• Where the shut-offs under each sink and toilet are.
• Where your water heater’s cold-water valve is, and how to turn off its power or gas.
• In cold climates, which pipes run along outside walls or through unheated space — the ones that freeze first. In a cold snap the Red Cross suggests opening kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors so warmer air reaches the plumbing, and letting cold water drip from faucets served by exposed pipes (Red Cross).

Common questions

What counts as a plumbing emergency?

Water you cannot stop, water reaching electrics or a ceiling, sewage coming into the house, a leaking water heater, or losing your only toilet. Anything you can isolate at one fixture valve can usually wait for normal hours.

Can a clogged toilet wait until morning?

If there is another working toilet and the water is not overflowing, yes. If it is the only one, or several drains are backing up at once (a sign of a main-line clog), call.

How fast can an emergency plumber get here?

It depends on the time, your distance and how busy they are. Ask for an arrival estimate when you call, and shut off the water while you wait.

Do plumbers charge more at night, on weekends or on holidays?

Usually, yes — through a higher hourly rate, a flat emergency fee, a minimum charge, or a combination. Ask for the after-hours price before they set off.

Is a small leak an emergency?

Not if you can turn off the valve feeding it. A small leak you cannot isolate, or one dripping into a ceiling or near wiring, is worth an urgent call.

What should I do if I smell gas?

Leave the building on foot straight away, without looking for the source or using phones and switches inside, and call 911 and your gas company from a safe distance. That is federal pipeline-safety guidance from PHMSA.

Does homeowners insurance cover a burst pipe?

Policies differ, so check yours. Sudden damage is treated differently from damage that built up through wear or neglect. Photograph everything before cleanup and call your insurer early.

Sources

Safety and standards advice on this page comes from these publishers. Dates are the ones each page shows.

• PHMSA (US Department of Transportation), Pipeline Leak Recognition and What to Do (last updated May 25, 2017)
• Angi, What Counts as a Plumbing Emergency? (updated July 9, 2026)
• CDC, Guidelines for Cleaning Safely After a Disaster (last updated August 26, 2026)
• American Red Cross, Frozen Pipes (undated; read October 2026)