Burst Pipe or Flooding? What to Do Before the Plumber Arrives

Step 1: Shut Off the Water at the Main (10 seconds)

Every LA home has a main water shutoff. If you don't know where yours is, find it right now — before you need it. Common locations:

• At the front of the house, often near the hose bib closest to the street.
• In the garage, near the water heater.
• On the side of the house where the meter enters.

It's usually a quarter-turn ball valve (turns 90°, perpendicular to the pipe = off) or a gate valve (multi-turn, turn clockwise until tight = off). If you have a PRV, the shutoff is typically just upstream of it.

Practice this during a calm moment. Know where it is, know which direction turns it off, verify it actually works (turn it off, open an indoor faucet, confirm the water stops). A stuck main shutoff during an actual emergency is a crisis within a crisis.

Step 2: Shut Off Electricity to Affected Areas (60 seconds)

Water + electricity = fire, shock, death. If water is actively pooling in areas with outlets, light fixtures below, or near the electrical panel, kill the breakers for those circuits — or, in severe flooding, the main breaker. The main breaker is in your electrical panel, usually in the garage or on the exterior of the house.

Do not stand in water while operating the panel. Reach from a dry area if possible.

Step 3: If Hot Water Tank Is Involved, Shut Off Gas or Electric (30 seconds)

A water heater that's leaking can overheat if left powered after its cold supply is compromised. For gas tanks: turn the gas valve on the water heater to OFF. For electric tanks: kill the breaker that feeds the water heater. Close the cold inlet on top of the unit if accessible.

Step 4: Call Us Now

Once the water and risk are contained, call (818) 768-2032. A real person answers 24/7 — no call center, no automated triage. Tell us:

• Your address.
• What failed (pipe, water heater, toilet, drain backup).
• What's flooded and how much.
• Whether you've successfully shut off the water.

We dispatch a truck within 10 minutes for genuine emergencies. Standard response times from our Sun Valley base: Arleta, Pacoima 20 minutes; NoHo, Burbank, Glendale 30–40 minutes; the far West Valley and Pasadena 45–60 minutes.

Step 5: Start Water Extraction

Once the leak is stopped, time is your enemy. Drywall, subfloor, and insulation will absorb water for as long as they're sitting in it. Within 24–48 hours of sustained saturation, mold growth begins. Extract as much water as possible immediately:

• Wet-dry shop vac — the fastest home method. Rent one from Home Depot if you don't have one.
• Towels and buckets — useful for smaller volumes.
• Move furniture out of wet areas — furniture legs can wick water up into upholstery that's otherwise dry.
• Lift area rugs off wet floors — let the subfloor dry, don't trap moisture under the rug.
• Open windows and run fans — airflow dramatically accelerates drying.

If the water volume is more than one person with a shop vac can handle, call a water restoration company (IICRC-certified) immediately. Your insurance typically covers professional water extraction for sudden-and-accidental plumbing events.

Gas Leak Emergencies — Different Rules

If the emergency is a gas leak (you smell rotten eggs, you hear hissing near a gas appliance, a gas line failed visibly), do not operate light switches, appliances, or anything that can spark.

1. Leave the home. Take everyone with you.
2. Do NOT operate light switches, doors with electric openers, appliances.
3. Do NOT start your car if it's in the attached garage.
4. Once outside, call SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200. They dispatch for free and will make the home safe.
5. After SoCalGas has shut off the meter and released the home, call us at (818) 768-2032 for the actual C-36 licensed gas line repair.

Preparedness — Right Now, Before Anything Happens

Three things every LA homeowner should do this weekend:

1. Locate and test your main water shutoff. Verify it works. Teach every adult in the household how to operate it.
2. Locate your gas meter shutoff valve. It's at the gas meter — turns off with a wrench (a crescent wrench works). Keep a dedicated gas-shutoff wrench hanging near the meter.
3. Save our number in your phone. (818) 768-2032 — under "Plumber — 24/7" so you can find it when adrenaline is running.

A plumbing emergency on a Sunday at midnight is not a good time to search Google for a plumber. Have the number saved, have the shutoffs located, and you're already 90% of the way through the crisis before the first drop hits the floor.