Emergency Plumbing in San Jose, CA
Burst pipe at midnight, sewage coming up in the tub on Thanksgiving, a water heater emptying itself into the hallway. None of it happens at a convenient hour, so we take emergency calls around the clock, seven days a week. The phone rings Dave directly. The person who picks up is a plumber, not somebody reading from a script who will pass a message along in the morning.
The first thing we do on an emergency call is help you stop the damage: where the shut-off is, how to kill the water heater, what to move out of the way. That part happens on the phone, before anybody gets in a truck, because the ten minutes you spend waiting for us is the ten minutes doing the most damage.
Then we get to you. There is no dispatcher queue, because there is no dispatcher. The person you talked to is the person driving over.
Every San Jose homeowner should know where their main shut-off valve is before they need it. If you do not, call us for a regular visit and we will show you. We will also test that the valve actually turns, because a seized shut-off during a flood is its own emergency.
When people call us about this
- Burst or split pipe actively leaking
- Sewage backing up into tubs or showers
- Water heater tank failure flooding the area
- No water to the entire house
- Gas smell near a water heater or appliance (leave first, then call 911 and PG&E)
Questions we get asked
What should I do while I wait for you to arrive?+
Stop the water first, because damage is mostly a function of how long it ran. If it is one fixture, close the small valve on the wall or under the cabinet. If you cannot isolate it, close the main house valve, usually on the street-facing side near a hose bib, or on the garage wall. If the water heater is what let go, close the cold inlet valve on top of the tank, and turn the gas control off or switch off its breaker. Then move what you can out of the way and start getting water off the floor. Call us while you are doing it and we will talk you through anything you cannot find.
Do you charge extra for nights and weekends?+
Yes, after-hours work carries a higher rate, and that is true of every plumber you will call. What we try to do is make sure it is never a surprise: we quote it on the phone before we head out, so you decide with the number in front of you rather than when the truck is already in the driveway. We will also tell you honestly when something can safely wait. A dripping tap at eleven at night is not an emergency and we would rather book you for Monday morning than take the after-hours money for it. A burst line or sewage coming up into the house is a different matter and should not wait.
Is a sewage backup dangerous?+
Treat it as a health issue rather than an inconvenience. Keep people and pets away from the affected area. Do not run any more water into the system (no flushing, laundry or dishwasher), because everything you send down has nowhere to go but up. Do not attempt to clean it up with ordinary household supplies. If it has come up through a floor drain or a downstairs shower, that generally points to the main line rather than a single fixture, which means the whole house is backed up behind it. Ventilate the space if you can, keep off the affected flooring, and call somebody. Porous materials that have been contaminated usually need to be thrown out rather than cleaned.
Further reading: Find Your Water Shut-Off Before You Need It.
Describe it to us and we will tell you what it is.
Phone consultations do not cost anything. If it turns out to be something you can sort out yourself, we will say so.
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