Emergency plumber in Aurora, CO

Find your main shutoff before you need it. In most Aurora homes with basements, it sits in the utility room near the water heater, where the service line comes through the foundation wall. Turn a round handle clockwise until it stops, or turn a lever handle a quarter turn so it sits across the pipe. Then open a faucet on the lowest floor to drain pressure.

If water is near outlets, a furnace or an electrical panel, stay out of the wet area and shut off power at the breaker only if you can reach it from a dry spot. Move rugs, boxes and electronics, take photos for your insurance company, and put buckets under drips. Small steps like these can save you thousands in drywall and flooring.

Our first job on an emergency call is to stop the damage. That might mean capping a split line, isolating a fixture, clearing a blocked main enough to restore drainage, or shutting down a failed water heater. Once the house is safe and usable, we look at what caused the problem and whether a permanent repair makes sense right then.

Many repairs are finished on the same visit because we carry common pipe, fittings, valves and drain machines. Larger work, like replacing a sewer section or repiping a wall, sometimes goes better in daylight with materials staged. When that's the case, we leave you with working water or drains and give you a clear price for the rest.

Burst and frozen pipes, main line backups, overflowing toilets, failed water heaters, leaking shutoff valves and sump or ejector pumps that quit during a storm all qualify. So does a leak you can hear but can't find, when your water meter keeps spinning with every fixture off. These are the calls that cause real damage if they sit overnight.

A dripping faucet, a slow bathroom sink or a running toilet can usually wait until morning without harm. We'll tell you honestly on the phone if your problem falls into that group, and how to manage it until a regular visit. If you smell gas, leave the house first and call Xcel Energy from outside.