What Is a Plumbing Emergency?

Gas leaks and sewage backups: safety first

Two situations come before any plumbing repair because they can harm people, not just property. Treat both as emergencies every time.

• Gas smell: if you smell natural gas, often described as rotten eggs, or hear hissing near a gas line or appliance, leave the building immediately and take everyone with you.
• Do not flip light switches, use a lighter, start a car in an attached garage or use a phone inside. Do not try to find the leak.
• From outside and away from the house, call the gas utility or 911. Do not go back in until they say it is safe. Call a plumber for repairs only afterward.
• Never turn gas valves or relight appliances to check whether the smell goes away.
• Sewage backup: raw sewage carries bacteria and can release gases. Keep children, pets and anyone with a weakened immune system away from the area.
• Stop using sinks, tubs, toilets and the washing machine, because everything you run adds to the backup.
• Do not walk through standing sewage in bare feet, and do not mix cleaners to try to disinfect; some combinations create harmful fumes.
• If the room smells strongly or anyone feels dizzy or ill, get outside into fresh air and seek medical help.

What problems need immediate attention?

Beyond gas and sewage, call right away when water is causing damage you cannot control or when a loss of service puts people at risk.

• A burst or leaking pipe that keeps running after you close a fixture valve.
• Water coming through a ceiling or wall, especially near light fixtures.
• A main water line break, or water bubbling up in the yard or basement.
• Flooding from a failed water heater tank or a washing machine hose.
• No heat in freezing weather, particularly with young children, older adults or anyone in poor health at home.
• Several drains backing up at once, which suggests a main sewer line blockage.
• A water heater that is leaking heavily, making loud banging or releasing steam from the relief valve.

When can a leak wait for normal hours?

Many plumbing problems are annoying but stable. If you can contain the problem and nothing is getting worse, waiting for regular hours is reasonable and often easier to schedule.

A good test is whether you can stop it with a single shutoff and whether anyone is at risk. If yes to the first and no to the second, you can usually wait.

• A dripping faucet or a toilet that runs but is not overflowing.
• A slow drain in one sink or tub with other fixtures draining normally.
• A small leak under a sink that you can control by closing the fixture shutoff valve and placing a bucket.
• A water heater that gives lukewarm water but is not leaking.
• Low water pressure at one fixture.
• Noisy pipes with no visible leak.

What should you shut off before calling?

Closing the right valve is often the most helpful thing you can do in the first few minutes. Know these locations before you need them.

1. For a leak at one fixture, close the small oval handle shutoff valve under the sink or behind the toilet.
2. For a leak you cannot locate or one that keeps running, close the main water shutoff, usually where the line enters the house, near the water heater or at the meter.
3. If the water heater is leaking, close its cold water inlet valve and turn off its power at the breaker or its gas control per the manufacturer instructions. If you smell gas, do not touch it; leave instead.
4. If water is near outlets, appliances or the panel, do not stand in the water and do not touch electrical equipment. Shut off power only if the panel is dry and you can reach it safely, otherwise call the utility or 911.
5. Open a faucet at the lowest point of the house to drain the system, and move belongings away from the water.
6. Take photos for your records and then call for help.

How do you reach Rocket in an emergency?

Call (385) 722-7638. Rocket lists emergency hours as 24/7 and serves the Salt Lake Valley from West Jordan. For gas, call the gas utility or 911 from outside first. For non-urgent issues, you can also schedule online or text.