Emergency Plumbers near you

A dripping faucet, a slow drain or a running toilet can usually wait for a regular appointment, as long as you can close the fixture's own shut-off valve. The test is simple: if water is causing damage right now, if sewage is involved, or if the house has no water in freezing weather, treat it as urgent.

Water expands as it freezes, and the pressure it builds can split copper and plastic pipe alike. The split is not always where the ice is, and a frozen pipe may not leak at all until it thaws, which is why the damage often shows up only when the weather turns milder. Pipes in exterior walls, unheated crawl spaces, garages and near the water entry are the usual suspects.

If no water comes out of a tap in freezing weather and there is no sign of a leak, the City of Toronto suggests opening a basement tap, preferably the cold-water tap in the laundry room, and warming the suspect pipe with a hair dryer, an electric heating pad, a space heater or warm towels. Never use a torch or any other open flame, which is a fire hazard.

If a pipe has already split, or the frozen section is inside a finished wall or underground, close the main valve and call a plumber. Contact your municipality as well, since the freeze may be on the city's side of the water service.

A sewer backup is a health hazard as well as a water problem, because sewage carries bacteria. Keep children and pets away, wear rubber boots and gloves if you must go near it, and don't try to clean up a large amount of contaminated water yourself. A plumber can clear a blockage in your own line and check whether the backwater valve closed properly; if the city sewer is overloaded, report it to your municipality too.

Home insurance treats water damage very differently depending on where the water came from. A sudden leak, slow seepage, a sewer backup and overland flooding are often separate risks, and the Insurance Bureau of Canada notes that basement damage from a sewer backup is covered only if you have bought specific, optional sewer backup coverage. Flooding from rivers or lakes is another optional coverage. Read your policy, or ask your broker, before you need it.

After an emergency, report the damage to your insurer as soon as possible, as the IBC recommends, and make a complete list of damaged items. Photograph everything before it is moved, keep ruined items unless they are a health hazard, and ask the plumber for a written report of the cause and the repair. That paperwork makes the claim easier to settle.