Emergency plumber, 24/7
A person answers (210) 555-0147 day and night. If you'd rather not talk yet, answer three questions: you get what to do right now, and the form below comes pre-filled.
What's going on?
Leak, backup, no hot water or no water at all. Three answers and we tell you what to shut off, what to check and how fast we come.
- What to do before we arrive, step by step.
- The form comes pre-filled with your answers.
- During office hours, Marisol calls you back within 15 minutes.
Today
Stop the water first
Close the valve closest to the leak
Under a sink or behind a toilet there's a small oval handle on the supply line: turn it clockwise until it stops. For a water heater, the valve is on the cold pipe going into the top of the tank.
If that doesn't stop it, close the main
On most San Antonio homes the main shut-off is a lever or a wheel on the pipe where it enters the house, often next to the front hose bib, or in a box in the front yard near the sidewalk. Turn it clockwise.
Open a low faucet
Open the lowest faucet in the house, a hose bib or a tub, to drain the pressure out of the pipes. The leak slows to a drip within a minute.
Towels down, phone out
Move what gets wet and take a photo of the spot. It tells us which parts to put in the van.
Stop using water in the house
Don't flush again, don't run the washer
Everything you send down the drain comes back up at the lowest fixture, usually a tub or a shower.
Sewage in a tub or shower means the main line
If a toilet flush makes water rise in a tub, the blockage is in the main sewer line, not that fixture. Stop all water use until we clear it.
No chemical drain cleaner
It rarely clears a real blockage, it eats older pipes, and it burns the plumber who opens the line afterwards.
Find your cleanout
A capped white or black pipe in the yard, often near the house or the street. Clearing the main from there is faster and cheaper than pulling a toilet.
Check the water heater before we come
Gas heater: look at the status light
A blinking light on the gas valve at the bottom of the tank spells out the fault. Count the blinks and tell us. If the pilot is out, don't relight it more than once.
If you smell gas, leave
Leave the house, then call CPS Energy's emergency line at (210) 353-4357 or 911. We'll come once the line is cleared.
Electric heater: check the breaker
A tripped double breaker in the panel is the most common cause. Reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off.
Water on the floor around the tank
Close the cold-water valve on top of the heater and turn the gas valve to Off (or switch the breaker off). A tank that leaks from the bottom gets replaced, not repaired.
Find out whether it's you or the street
Ask a neighbor
If they have no water either, SAWS has a main break on your street. Nothing to fix on your side.
Check the main valve
A lever handle across the pipe means closed; along the pipe means open. Someone may have closed it, or a wheel valve may have failed.
Frozen pipe: slow heat only
Open the faucets a little. Warm the exposed pipe with a hair dryer or towels soaked in hot water. Never an open flame. Burst pipes show up when the ice melts, so keep the main closed if you see a split.
Only the hot side?
If cold water runs and hot doesn't, the water heater's inlet valve is closed or the heater is frozen. Pick "No hot water" instead.
During office hours, Marisol calls you back within 15 minutes. After hours, the on-call plumber calls you back within 30 minutes.
What an emergency costs
Nights, weekends and holidays: $150 added to the repair, nothing else. During office hours there is no emergency fee at all: a burst pipe at 10 am costs the repair, diagnostic visit: $79, applied to the repair if you go ahead the same day.
The plumber looks first, then writes the price on the tablet. You approve it before he starts. If the fix can wait for daytime without damage, he tells you so and you decide.
- Burst or split pipe, accessible
- $250 to $600
- Main sewer line backed up, from a cleanout
- $250 to $450
- Water heater leaking, tank replaced
- $1,600 to $2,600
- Main shut-off valve failed
- $225 to $450
- Nights, weekends, holidays
- $150 added
Send the emergency request
During office hours, Marisol calls you back within 15 minutes. After hours, the on-call plumber calls you back within 30 minutes. Water you can't stop? Call instead: (210) 555-0147.
We call you back
Within 15 minutes during office hours, within 30 after hours.
A van is on its way
We tell you who is coming and when, and text you when the van leaves the previous job.
Price at the door
The plumber looks, writes the price, you approve it. Then he starts.
Request sent. A confirmation email is on its way.
Marisol calls you back within 15 minutes during office hours, the on-call plumber within 30 minutes after hours. Water you can't stop? Call (210) 555-0147 now.