What to Do in a Plumbing Emergency

The single most useful action in almost any plumbing emergency is to stop the water. Everything else is secondary.

Plumbing emergencies have a habit of arriving at the worst possible moment: late in the evening, over a holiday, or with a house full of guests. What you do in the first few minutes can be the difference between a minor incident and thousands of pounds of water damage. This guide covers what to do in the most common emergencies, how to limit the damage while you wait for help, and when you need an emergency plumber.

Check it is safe, then act

Panic leads to bad decisions. Take a breath and quickly work out:

• Where is the water coming from?
• Is anyone in immediate danger?
• Is water still flowing?
• Can you reach the affected area safely?

Water and electricity come first. Never walk into a flooded area where electrical equipment may be live. If water is near electrics, switch off at the consumer unit, but only if the unit itself is dry and you can reach it without standing in water. If you cannot, keep everyone out of that area.

First, turn the water off

For one fixture, such as a sink or toilet, look underneath for the small isolation valves and turn them clockwise. Test that the flow has stopped. Isolation valves are usually under sinks, behind toilets or on the pipe close to the fixture. Many are small slotted valves: use a flat screwdriver to turn the slot a quarter turn so it sits across the pipe.

For a major leak or burst pipe, go to the main stopcock. Usually under the kitchen sink, in a downstairs toilet, or where the supply enters the house. Turn it fully clockwise, then open all the taps to drain what is left in the pipes. The stopcock stops all water coming into the property. Opening the taps then drains what is left, including a cold water tank in the loft if you have one, so the leak runs dry sooner.

Find your stopcock now, not during an emergency. Make sure everyone in the house knows where it is, and test it once a year, because they seize.

The five common emergencies

A burst pipe

1. Stopcock off immediately
2. Turn the heating off
3. Open all taps to drain the system
4. Move furniture and valuables clear
5. Contain what you can
6. Photograph everything for insurance
7. Call an emergency plumber

Turning the heating off matters because the pump will otherwise keep pushing water round the system and out through a burst on the heating side.

Most common in winter, and often when frozen pipes thaw rather than while they are frozen. Cold snaps catch out homes across Crawley, Horsham and Redhill every year, and our guide to preventing frozen pipes covers how to stop it happening.

An overflowing toilet

1. Do not flush again
2. Take the cistern lid off
3. Lift the float to stop water entering
4. Turn off the isolation valve behind the toilet
5. Try a plunger
6. If the plunger does not clear it, call a plumber

If sewage is backing up into a bath or sink as well, that is a drainage problem rather than a toilet problem and it needs attention quickly. Until it is cleared, do not flush any toilet or run water anywhere in the house, because it all ends up in the same blocked drain.

A major leak

1. Water off at the stopcock or isolation valve
2. Identify the source if you can do so safely
3. Contain with towels and buckets
4. Turn off electricity to affected areas
5. Photograph the damage
6. Call an emergency plumber
7. Notify your insurer

If you cannot find where the water is coming from, or it is inside a wall or under a floor, leak detection will find it without pulling the house apart first.

No hot water or boiler failure in winter

Check the thermostat settings, the pilot light on an older boiler, the boiler pressure, and whether the condensate pipe has frozen. Reset once if there is an error code.

The pressure should read 1 to 1.5 bar when the system is cold. In a cold snap, a frozen condensate pipe is one of the most common reasons a boiler stops. Our no hot water guide goes through each check in order.

If none of that resolves it, call a Gas Safe engineer. Never attempt a repair on a gas appliance.

A gas leak

This one is different and it is genuinely dangerous.

1. Open windows and doors
2. Do not touch any electrical switch
3. No matches, no lighters, no smoking
4. Turn the gas off at the meter if it is safe to reach
5. Leave the property
6. Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 from outside
7. Call us afterwards for the repair

Do not go back inside until the emergency engineer tells you it is safe. Our guide to smelling gas covers this in more detail.

Limiting the damage

Once the water is off: remove standing water, move anything valuable, lift wet carpets if you can, open windows, and get air moving. Only use electric fans or a dehumidifier once the area is safe and the electrics have been checked.

Then document it. Photographs and video of everything before you tidy, the time it started, receipts for anything you buy, and a list of damaged items. This is what turns an insurance claim from a fight into a formality. Note how high the water reached and which rooms were affected as well.

When to call an emergency plumber

Call straight away for:

• A burst pipe flooding the property
• A complete loss of water supply, once you have checked with the neighbours that it is not a mains problem
• Sewage backing up into the house
• A major leak you cannot stop
• Frozen pipes at risk of bursting
• Boiler failure in winter with elderly, very young or vulnerable people in the house
• Water leaking near electrics
• Anything causing ongoing damage to the property

We cover emergency plumbing across Crawley, Horsham, Redhill and the rest of West Sussex and Surrey, seven days a week, with no weekend premium.

Worth having in the house

An adjustable wrench, pipe tape, large towels, buckets, a torch, a plunger, and your plumber’s number saved in your phone before you need it.

Add your insurance policy details, some spare rags or cloths, and photographs showing where the stopcock and isolation valves are, so anyone in the house can find them in a hurry.

What not to do

• Do not panic, because it makes every decision worse
• Do not ignore it hoping it stops
• Do not attempt complex repairs during an active emergency
• Do not put off calling a professional once you know you need one
• Do not use electrical appliances near water
• Do not flush if sewage is backing up
• Do not pour chemicals down a blocked drain
• Do not wait until morning if damage is ongoing