Minutes 0 to 2: Stop the Water
Burst pipe or major leak: go straight to your main water shutoff valve and turn it clockwise until it stops. Every home has one. It is typically in the basement, crawlspace, garage, or near the water heater. Cannot find it? Call your water utility's emergency line. They can shut it off at the street meter, and they answer 24 hours a day.
Toilet overflowing: pop the tank lid off, push the flapper down (or lift the float arm) to stop the flow, then turn the small valve behind the toilet clockwise.
Under-sink leak: turn both the hot and cold supply valves under the sink clockwise. They are the small oval handles on the supply lines.
Minutes 2 to 4: Kill the Power If Water Meets Electricity
If water is anywhere near outlets, appliances, your breaker panel, or light fixtures, go to your electrical panel and turn off the breaker for the affected area. Do not touch wet electrical equipment. Do not stand in standing water near anything plugged in. If the breaker panel itself is wet, do not touch it. Call the fire department.
Minutes 4 to 7: Contain the Damage and Document It
- Move valuables, electronics, and furniture away from the water. Rugs first, they are sponges.
- Contain what is spreading with towels, buckets, mops, or a wet/dry vacuum if you have one.
- Photograph everything. The source, the water levels, the damaged areas. Your insurance adjuster will need this, and memories get fuzzy.
- Sewage backup: get out of the affected area. Do not use any plumbing fixture in the house. Do not try to clean it yourself. Sewage is a biohazard, not a mess.
Minutes 7 to 10: Call for Help
Call an emergency plumber. Tell them exactly what happened, what you have shut off, and whether sewage or electricity is involved. Specifics get you a faster, better-prepared response. Then call your homeowners insurance to open a claim. Most policies require prompt reporting, and "I waited until morning" is a phrase adjusters do not like.
What NOT to Do
- Do not pour chemical drain cleaner into a fully blocked drain. It will not clear the blockage. It will sit there, eat at your pipes, and burn the hands of whoever eventually snakes the line.
- Do not "wait until morning" on a small leak. A pinhole leak can release 250 gallons overnight. Small leaks do not stay small.
- Do not run water anywhere in the house during a sewage backup. Every flush makes it worse.
- Do not touch anything electrical that is wet or sitting in water. No exceptions.
Do This Today, Before the Next Emergency
- Find your main shutoff valve and label it. Show everyone in the house.
- Save a plumber's number in your phone and tape it inside a kitchen cabinet. When water is rising, you do not want to be Googling.
- Learn where your water heater's shutoff and gas valve are.
- Keep towels, a bucket, and ideally a wet/dry vac somewhere you can grab in 60 seconds.
Find emergency plumbers near you now, while you have time to compare. At midnight, you take whoever answers.