Plumbing help in Upstate SC: what to do first

If it's leaking

Stay out of standing water near outlets or the electric panel. If you can do it safely, turn off the power (electric: the heater's breaker) or the gas (the shut-off valve near the heater, only if you're confident), then close the cold-water valve that feeds the heater. Our water heater leaking guide shows what each leak spot usually means.

If there's no hot water

• Electric heater: a tripped circuit breaker is a very common cause. Check the electrical panel.
• Gas heater: the pilot light may be out or the gas valve closed.
• Right after heavy use: a tank-type heater needs time to reheat. A. O. Smith gives roughly 30 to 40 minutes for gas and 60 to 90 minutes for electric; times vary by model, and tankless heaters work differently.
• If you smell gas, stop troubleshooting: leave the building and call 911 or your gas utility from a safe place.
• Components can stay live even when the heater isn't heating. Turn the power off before touching anything inside a panel.

Call a plumber when: there's any leak, the breaker or reset button keeps tripping, or the problem involves the gas supply, venting or ignition.

• First step: if water is spreading, close your home's main water shut-off valve. It's on the incoming water supply line, and its location varies by home. Ready.gov recommends finding and tagging it before you ever need it.
• Stay out of standing water near outlets, cords or the electric panel. Don't walk through water to reach the panel.
• For a small drip under a sink, the shut-off valve under that sink may be enough.

Call a plumber when: a pipe has burst, water is coming through a ceiling or wall, or you can't stop the leak.

If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out, suspect a frozen pipe. Pipes against exterior walls, in crawl spaces, attics and garages, or where the water line enters through the foundation freeze most often. The American Red Cross recommends:

1. Keep the faucet open. As the ice melts, running water helps melt the rest.
2. Apply gentle heat with an electric heating pad, a hair dryer, a portable space heater kept away from anything flammable, or towels soaked in hot water. Don't use electric heat near standing water or wet appliances, and leave right away if you smell gas.
3. Never use an open flame: no blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater or charcoal stove.
4. Keep heating until full water pressure returns, then check your other faucets. If one pipe froze, others may have too.

If a pipe has burst, close the main water valve first.

Before the next cold snap

• Disconnect and drain garden hoses, and close the inside valves that feed outdoor faucets.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors so warm air reaches the pipes, and keep garage doors closed if water lines run there.
• On very cold nights, let cold water drip from a faucet served by exposed pipes.
• Keep the thermostat at the same setting day and night. If you'll be away, leave the heat on at no lower than 55°F.

Call a licensed plumber when: you can't find or reach the frozen section, it won't thaw, or a pipe has burst.

Full guide: frozen or burst pipe: what to do first.

• First step: stop using that drain until it's checked, so it doesn't overflow.
• If several drains back up at the same time, stop running water in the house and mention it on the call. It can point to a problem further down the line.

Call a plumber when: the same drain keeps clogging, more than one fixture backs up, or water comes up in a tub or shower when you use another fixture.

• Not sure it's sewer? If it smells like rotten eggs or you can't tell, treat it as a gas leak: leave and call 911 or your gas utility from a safe place.
• First step for a sewer backup: stop flushing and running water until it's checked.
• Keep children and pets away from any sewage, and wash your hands after contact.

Call a plumber when: sewage backs up into the house, or a sewer smell doesn't go away.

• First step: close the shut-off valve on the wall behind the toilet, and stop flushing until it's fixed.
• A toilet that keeps running or a dripping faucet wastes water but usually isn't an emergency. You have time to compare estimates.

Call a plumber when: the toilet overflows, leaks at the base, or the shut-off valve won't close.