Something has gone wrong. Here is what to do first.
This page is written for one person: somebody standing in a laundry at eleven at night with the phone in one hand. Everything on it is what we would tell you if you rang, and none of it costs anything.
The three things that stop it getting worse
In this order, and before you ring anybody — including us. Ten seconds here is worth twenty minutes of anyone's driving.
- 1
Water off at the meter
Green or black box at the front boundary, near the footpath. The tap beside the meter turns clockwise to close. Two hands, not a tool.
- 2
Power off to anything wet
If water is anywhere near a power point, an appliance or a ceiling light, switch that circuit off at the meter box. Do not stand in water to reach it.
- 3
Gas off at the meter or bottle
Only if it is a gas fault or the water is near a gas appliance. If you can smell gas, get outside first and do not touch a switch on the way.
Done that? Ring us.
24 hours, 7 days — including public holidays. A plumber answers, and working out whether you need one tonight is free.
Not sure how bad it is?
Tap whichever is closest. You get the same answer we would give you on the phone, including the ones where the answer is that this can wait until morning.
Not sure? Ring anyway. Working out whether you need a plumber tonight is free and it takes about a minute.
Pick the closest one. Nothing here is a form and nothing gets submitted — it just tells you what we would tell you on the phone.
Then, before we arrive
None of this needs a plumber, and all of it makes the next hour cheaper.
- Photograph everything. Insurers ask, and it is very hard to prove a wet carpet after you have dried it.
- Move what you can off the floor, electricals first, then anything that will stain.
- Put towels at doorways rather than trying to mop the middle. Containing it beats chasing it.
- Do not lift saturated plasterboard yourself. It is heavier than it looks and it may be holding a ceiling up.
What happens when you ring
Four steps, and none of them is a hold queue.
- 1
A plumber answers. Not a call centre, and not a message service that pages somebody.
- 2
You describe it and we tell you honestly whether it needs a van tonight or a booking tomorrow.
- 3
If it needs tonight, you get a time and a price for the attendance before we hang up.
- 4
You get a text when we leave, and another one if we are running behind.
Numbers that are not ours
Some emergencies are not a plumber's job, and knowing that at eleven at night is worth more than our phone number.
- Gas emergencies — strong smell, suspected leak
- Ring the gas network emergency line first. They will make the supply safe. We deal with everything on your side of the meter afterwards.
- No water in the whole street
- That is the Water Corporation, not a plumber. Check their outage page before paying anyone to drive out.
- A burst on the footpath or the road
- Water Corporation again — it is their main. Ring it in; they treat it as urgent and there is no charge to you.
- Sewage surfacing in a public area
- Water Corporation. If it is inside your boundary it is ours; past the connection point it is theirs, and we will tell you which is which for free.
For anybody reading this with water on the floor
Are you really available at two in the morning?
Yes, and a plumber answers rather than a message service. For a genuine emergency — a burst, sewage inside, no water at all, a gas smell — we come out. For a dripping tap we will book you in for the morning and save you the after-hours rate, and we will say that on the phone rather than driving out and charging you for it.
How do I turn the water off?
At the meter, which is almost always in a green or black box at the front boundary near the footpath. The tap beside the meter turns clockwise to close. Use two hands rather than a tool if it is stiff — snapping the spindle makes a bad night considerably worse. Ring us and we will talk you through it while we drive.
How quickly can you actually get here?
For a genuine emergency in the twelve suburbs we cover, typically inside an hour. You get told a time on the phone rather than a four-hour window, and a text if we are running late.
I can smell gas. What do I do first?
Do not touch a light switch or anything else electrical, including your phone if it is plugged in. Open the doors and windows, get everyone outside, turn the gas off at the meter or the bottle if you can reach it safely, and ring us from outside. If the smell is strong, ring the gas emergency line first and us second.
If it is happening now, stop reading and ring
A plumber picks up at any hour. You will know inside a minute whether this is tonight or tomorrow, and it costs nothing to find out.
Plumbing Contractor PL 7742 · Gas Fitting GF 3318 · 12 months on workmanship, in writing on every invoice