Signs you require emergency plumbing
Not each drip is an emergency, and you will hear that honestly when you call. The calls we treat as urgent share one feature: the damage grows by the minute or the house becomes unusable. A split supply line in a finished basement, a toilet backing up onto the bathroom floor, a water heater dumping its tank into the furnace room, or a home with no working drains at all all qualify.
- Water spraying or pouring from a line, fitting or appliance hose
- A ceiling stain that is spreading or sagging
- Sewage rising in a floor drain, tub or lowest toilet
- No water anywhere in the house on a cold morning
- Any whiff of gas around the water heater or another gas appliance
If you smell gas, exit the house first and telephone Enbridge Gas or 911 from outside. Then call us.
How we handle emergency plumbing in an Oshawa house
The first job is stopping the water. On the phone we help you find the main valve, which in most Oshawa houses is usually mounted low on the front foundation wall, beside where the service enters. Once the flow is stopped, the panic drops and we can plan the repair properly.
On arrival we trace the source, make the area safe and fix what failed. Where a lasting repair requires parts we do not stock, we make a sound temporary repair so you can use water again overnight, and we explain exactly what the permanent fix will involve.
Tag every shut-off valve in the house with a bright label. In an emergency no one wants to guess which handle does what.
What affects the scope
Access is the biggest factor. A leak behind a drywall ceiling means opening the ceiling; a split pipe in an unfinished basement is quick to reach. The age of the piping matters as well. Brittle galvanized steel or old fittings near the failure may need replacing at the same time so the repair does not simply move the weak point a metre down the line.
Drain emergencies depend on where the blockage sits. A plugged branch is often cleared in one visit, while a main line stoppage may lead to a sewer camera inspection to see why it happened.
Before you call
Shut the main valve if water is moving. Switch off power to a water heater that is leaking, and turn off any electrical circuits in a wet area if you can reach the panel safely. Move valuables off the floor. Our note on locating the main valve is worth reading now, before you need it. If basement water is the recurring problem, ask about sump pump installation.