What you can do first
- Close the main shut-off, or the small valve under the fixture that is leaking.
- If water is creeping toward outlets or the panel, keep away and switch off that circuit just if you can get to the panel while standing on dry ground.
- Open a cold faucet at the lowest point of the house to bleed pressure from the lines.
- Move belongings, take photos for insurance, and start soaking up standing water.
- Stop running drains if sewage is backing up; every flush adds to the problem.
For a fuller checklist, see what to do when your basement floods and the plumbing emergency kit note.
Signs you need emergency plumbing
A drip is not always an emergency. A call becomes urgent when water is moving and you cannot stop it, when wastewater is backing into the house, or when the home has lost water entirely in cold weather. Typical examples:
- A burst or split pipe spraying inside a wall, ceiling or basement
- A toilet or floor drain overflowing with sewage
- The main shut-off will not close and a leak keeps running
- No water at any tap during a cold snap, which usually means a frozen line
- A water heater dumping water onto the floor
- A smell of gas near a gas water heater (leave the home and call Enbridge Gas or 911 first)
When you call, we ask three questions: where is the water, is it still running, and have you found the shut-off.
How we handle the work
When you call, we ask three questions: where is the water, is it still running, and have you found the shut-off. Answering those lets us talk you through stopping the flow while a plumber heads over. On site, the first task is always control: water off, power off to wet areas if needed, and a quick look at what failed.
Next comes the repair that makes the house usable again. Sometimes that is the permanent fix, such as a new section of copper or PEX. Other times it is a safe temporary measure, with the proper work booked for daylight once parts are in hand. We write down what we found and what still needs doing, so nothing is left as a mystery.
Pickering homes and this problem
The pattern of urgent calls here follows the seasons. Late winter brings frozen pipes in garages, crawlspaces and the exterior walls of older Bay Ridges and Rosebank homes. Spring thaw and heavy summer storms push water toward basements across the city, which is when sump pumps and floor drains get tested. In newer Duffin Heights and Seaton houses, the urgent calls tend to be fittings that let go on finished basement lines rather than old pipe failing.
Job note: locate your main shut-off today, on a calm day. In the typical Pickering house it is where the water pipe comes through the foundation, often on the front wall near the meter. Our shut-off valve guide shows what to look for.
What affects the cost
We do not publish prices, because an emergency can be a five-minute valve turn or a day of opening walls. The things that move the number are the time of the call, how easy the failed part is to reach, whether drywall or flooring must come out, and whether parts such as a water heater have to be sourced. We explain the options before starting anything beyond stopping the water.
Questions callers ask
Should I call a plumber or the City for a sewer backup?
If several houses on the street are affected or water is coming from the road, call the City of Pickering or Durham Region as well. If it is only your house, the blockage is often in your own lateral and a plumber is the right first call.
Can a burst pipe wait until morning?
Once the main valve is closed and the water is stopped, many repairs can wait for daylight. The real emergency is water that will not stop, sewage in the house, or no heat and no water in freezing weather.
What if my main shut-off will not turn?
Do not force it with a long wrench; old valves can snap. Call us, and if water is pouring, the municipal curb stop can be closed by the water utility.