If water is coming into your house right now, stop reading and go to step one.
1. Shut the water off
At the fixture if there is a stop you can reach. At the main if there is not. Your main shutoff is usually where the supply enters the house — a garage, a basement, a crawlspace wall, a utility closet — and there is a second valve at the meter by the street.
If you do not know where yours is, find it today. Label it. In an actual emergency you do not want to be searching a crawlspace with a torch while water runs.
2. Cut the power if water is near electrics
If water is anywhere near outlets, appliances or the panel, kill the breaker for that area — from a dry position. If you cannot reach the panel without standing in water, do not. Get everyone out and call an electrician or the fire service.
3. Turn the water heater off
If you shut the main and the heater keeps firing, it can heat an empty or partly empty tank. Gas valve to pilot, or the breaker off for an electric unit.
4. Photograph everything, then start clearing
Before you move anything, take photos and a short video. Your insurer will want to see the damage as it was. Then move what you can and get air moving — the secondary damage from a slow dry-out is often worse than the water itself.
Then call
Tell us what you did, what you can see, and whether the water is off. If the shutoff will not close, say so first — that changes what we bring.
If you smell gas, this is different
Do not switch anything on or off, including lights. Do not use your phone indoors. Get everyone outside, and call your gas utility's emergency line from outdoors. Call us once the supply has been made safe.
What actually counts as an emergency
Anything actively causing damage. No water at all. No usable toilet. Sewage indoors. Any gas smell. If you are unsure, call and describe it — we will tell you honestly whether it can wait for a normal-rate appointment, which is usually cheaper for you.
Two things worth doing before you need them
- Find and label your main shutoff, and make sure it actually turns.
- If you have a finished basement or leave the house empty for stretches, fit a smart shutoff. It closes the main automatically on an abnormal flow — which is exactly the failure this article is about.
Our emergency service covers Charlotte, Union County, Fort Mill and the surrounding areas.