Emergency Plumber in Richmond, VA

Emergency plumbing

An emergency plumber in Richmond gets two kinds of call more than any other. The first comes on the coldest nights of the winter, when a pipe in a crawl space, an outside wall or an unheated garage freezes and splits, and the leak only shows once it thaws. The second can come on any day of the year: a toilet or floor drain backing up, a supply line bursting under a sink, or a water heater letting go at the base. In each case water is going where it shouldn’t, and the call goes to the front of the list.

What happens when you call

When you call outside normal hours, you talk to someone who first asks whether the water is still running. If it is, we talk you to the main shut-off before anything else, because every minute with the water on adds to the damage. Then you hear how soon a plumber can be there and what the after-hours visit costs before you book it. If the problem can safely wait until morning, we say so, because an emergency rate should only be spent when it is needed.

Same-day visits are our aim when the call comes in early enough. On the worst freezing nights, when half of Henrico and Chesterfield is calling about split pipes at once, we give you an honest arrival window instead of a time we cannot keep, and we tell you what to do in the meantime.

The most common emergency calls

• A frozen pipe that split. Usually a copper or plastic line in a crawl space, an outside wall or above a garage. The split section is cut out and replaced, and the rest of the run is checked before the water goes back on.
• A burst supply line. The braided or plastic hoses to a toilet, a sink or a washing machine wear out and can let go without warning. These are quick to replace once the water is off.
• A sewer or drain backup. Water coming up through a floor drain or a tub when another fixture runs means the main line is blocked. We clear it first and, if it keeps happening, look inside the line with a camera.
• A leaking water heater. A steady leak from the tank itself means the tank has failed. We shut off the water and the fuel, drain it so it stops flooding, and price a replacement.
• No water at all. Sometimes a frozen line, sometimes a failed well pump on a rural lot, sometimes a problem at the meter. We find out which before anyone starts digging.

What to do while you wait

Shut off the main water valve. If you can’t find it or it won’t turn, shut off the valve under the fixture that is leaking, or the cold supply on top of the water heater. Turn off the power or set the gas to pilot on a leaking water heater. Move anything that can be damaged away from the water and, if water is near outlets or a panel, stay out of that room and switch the circuit off at the breaker if it is safe to reach.

For a frozen pipe that hasn’t burst yet, open the faucet it feeds and warm the cold section gently with a hair dryer or a space heater kept well away from anything that can burn. Never use an open flame on a pipe.

Getting you through the night

Not every emergency ends with the full repair that night. Sometimes the right part has to come from the supply house in the morning, or the wall around a leak needs to dry before it can be opened. In that case the plumber makes the house safe and usable: the leaking line capped, the rest of the water turned back on, a toilet or a sink isolated so the others still work. You hear the price of the temporary fix and the full repair before any work starts.

Fewer emergencies next winter

Many emergency calls start as small problems that a visit in the fall would have caught: a garden hose left on an outside faucet, a crawl space vent left open, a main valve nobody has turned in years. Disconnect the hoses, close the vents and insulate pipes in unheated spaces before the first hard freeze. If you are not sure which pipes are at risk, a leak repair visit can include a walk through the house to find them.

For problems that can wait for a weekday, see our drain cleaning and water heater pages. We answer emergency calls throughout Richmond, Glen Allen and Midlothian.

Emergency plumbing by town

• Emergency plumbing in Richmond, VAFrom the Fan and Church Hill row houses to the brick ranches on the South Side, we fix leaks, clear drains and replace tired pipes and water heaters across the city.
• Emergency plumbing in Glen Allen, VANewer subdivisions and older homes off Mountain Road alike: water heaters, slow drains and the plastic supply lines that split behind a wall.
• Emergency plumbing in Midlothian, VAWooded lots, long sewer runs and roots that find every joint, plus winter nights cold enough to split a pipe in a crawl space.

Guides

• Frozen and Burst Pipes in Richmond: What to DoWhat to do about frozen and burst pipes in Richmond, which pipes are most at risk, how to thaw a line safely and how to keep it from happening again.
• Repair or Replace a Water Heater? A Richmond GuideHow to decide whether to repair or replace a water heater in the Richmond area, with the signs to watch, what each choice involves and what to ask.
• Tree Roots in Sewer Lines Around MidlothianWhy tree roots get into sewer lines around Midlothian and Richmond, the warning signs, camera inspections and the choices for clearing or repairing a line.

Questions about emergency plumbing

• What counts as a plumbing emergency?

  Water you cannot stop, a burst or split pipe, a sewer backup into a tub or floor drain, no water to the house at all, or a water heater leaking steadily. A gas smell near a gas water heater is an emergency too, but for that one leave the house first and call the gas utility or 911.

• How much more does an after-hours visit cost?

  An evening, weekend or holiday visit costs more than a weekday one. You hear the exact rate on the phone before you book, so you can decide whether it is worth it tonight or whether the morning will do.

• Will you tell me if it can wait until morning?

  Yes. If the water is off and nothing else is at risk, or the house has a second working bathroom, we often suggest the first weekday slot instead and tell you how to keep things safe overnight.

• What if the main shut-off won't turn?

  Old gate valves often seize after years without use. Try the valve at the meter by the street, which usually needs a meter key, or call us and we talk you through it. Replacing a stuck main valve is one of the most useful small jobs we do.