Before you call, or after

Shut off the main, open the lowest cold tap, turn off the water heater, photograph the wet, then call. The field manual shows each step.

It depends on the year the house was built. The field manual finds it by era: basement wall facing the street for old houses, near the water heater for most of the rest.

The visit fee covers the drive, the look and the explanation of your options. If you hire us that visit, it comes off the repair price. The pricing page lays out the rest.

Calls from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. and on weekends and holidays carry a night charge. We say the amount on the phone, before you agree.

Yes, in writing, by text or on paper. You can say no, and then you owe the visit fee and nothing else.

A shutoff valve, a supply line or a toilet is usually one visit. A burst pipe inside a wall has two parts: we stop the water first, and the repair follows once we can see the damage.

Some jobs need one, such as a water heater replacement or moving pipes. We pull it when the work calls for it and list the fee on its own line.

Look at age, where it leaks and what the repair would cost. A leak from the tank means replace; a leak from a fitting is often a repair. We explain which it is.

Plumbing installed before 1986 can include lead pipe or lead solder. Galvanized steel and gray polybutylene plastic turn up in homes built from the 1950s through the 1990s. Ask us to look where the pipe enters your house. The EPA's lead pages explain testing your water.

If more than one drain is slow, or the lowest drain in the house backs up, it may be the main line. We tell you what we see, and when a camera or a dig is needed we say who to call.

Parts carry the maker's warranty. For our labor, the terms are written on your invoice before you pay.

The emergency line is answered around the clock, by Colleen by day and Rodney at night. The service area page lists the towns.