It is an emergency if water is actively causing damage you cannot stop, if sewage is entering the house, if there is no water at all, or if you smell gas. Anything that can be isolated by closing one shutoff valve and left until morning generally is not.
Call Immediately
- Burst pipe or a leak you cannot shut off. Water damage compounds by the hour, and drywall, flooring, and cabinetry cost far more than the emergency rate.
- Sewage backing up into a tub, shower, or floor drain. That is a health hazard.
- No water anywhere in the house, especially in freezing weather when frozen pipes are the likely cause.
- Gas odor. Leave the building first, without touching switches. Call the gas utility from outside, then call us.
- Water heater leaking from the tank body. A failed tank dumps 40 to 50 gallons.
- Water near electrical panels or outlets.
- The only toilet in the home blocked and not clearing.
Usually Can Wait Until Morning
A dripping faucet, one slow drain with other fixtures working, a running toilet, low pressure at a single fixture, or a leak you have successfully isolated by closing a shutoff valve. Book a standard-rate appointment.
The Test That Actually Decides It
Can you stop the water? If closing a fixture shutoff or the main isolates the problem, you have bought yourself time. If water keeps coming and you cannot stop it, that is an emergency regardless of the hour.
Know Your Shutoffs Before You Need Them
This is the single most valuable thing a homeowner can do. Find your main shutoff — usually where the supply enters the building or near the meter — and confirm it actually turns. Locate the stops under sinks and behind toilets. Ten minutes now saves thousands during a burst pipe at 2 a.m.
While You Wait
Shut off water, kill power to affected areas if it is safe to do so, contain what you can, and move belongings clear.
We answer emergency plumbing calls 24/7. Contact B. Carlson in Albuquerque.
