Emergency Plumbing in Charleston, IL
Not every plumbing problem is an emergency, but the ones that are can cause thousands of dollars in damage within hours, especially in Charleston's older homes near downtown and the EIU campus. Here's how to tell the difference, and what to do right now if it's the real thing.
Is this a true plumbing emergency?
If any of these are happening, treat it as urgent:
- Water is actively spraying, gushing, or pooling somewhere it shouldn't be
- You smell gas or rotten eggs anywhere in the house
- Sewage or wastewater is coming up through more than one drain at once
- Your water heater is leaking and you can't stop it
- A toilet keeps overflowing no matter how many times you try to stop it
- Water is reaching outlets, walls, or the ceiling
What to do right now
- If you smell gas, leave the house immediately and call the gas company, then call us
- Find your main water shutoff valve, usually in the basement, crawl space, or where the water line enters the home
- Turn a round valve clockwise until it stops, or turn a lever valve a quarter turn until it's perpendicular to the pipe
- Keep people and pets away from standing water near outlets or wiring
- Don't pour chemical drain cleaner into a backed-up drain, it won't fix a main line issue and makes it more dangerous to clear
A slow drain, a dripping faucet, or a running toilet are real problems, but they're not emergencies. Reach out through our contact form for those and we'll get to you quickly without emergency rates.