Brooklyn Emergency Plumbing Services

Water coming through the ceiling? Shut it off first

Close the main water valve, then call. In most Brooklyn houses the main is in the basement or cellar, on the pipe that comes through the front wall next to the water meter. Turn the handle clockwise until it stops. In an apartment, look for a shutoff under the kitchen sink, behind a bathroom access panel, or ask the super to close the riser valve.

If water is running near outlets, a fixture or a ceiling light, switch off that circuit at the panel before you step in it. Then open the lowest faucet in the house to drain what is left in the pipes, and move anything you care about out of the water's path.

Water still running and you can't find the valve? Call now and dispatch will talk you through it.Call 718-748-2727

Which emergency is it? What to do in the next five minutes

• Burst pipe or ceiling leak. Close the main. If the water is coming from the unit above you, knock on that door and call the super: the fix starts upstairs.
• Sewage in the basement or tub. Stop using every sink, toilet, shower and the washing machine, because each one adds to the backup. Keep kids and pets away from the water. We clear the main line with a cable machine or a jetter, then run a camera to see why it backed up.
• Gas smell. Leave the building. Do not flip switches or light anything. Call 911 from outside. Once the utility has made it safe, call us for the leak repair and the gas restoration paperwork.
• No heat or no hot water. Check that the red emergency switch at the top of the basement stairs is on and the thermostat is set to heat. Press the boiler's reset button once, not over and over. If it still won't fire, call.
• Overflowing toilet. Lift the tank lid and push the flapper down, then close the small valve on the wall behind the toilet.
• No water at all. Ask a neighbor first. If the whole block is dry, it is a city main. If it is only your building, it is likely your service line or a closed valve, and that is our job.

What happens when you call 718-748-2727

Tell dispatch three things: the address, what is happening, and whether water is still running. If you can, text a photo to the same number. A picture of the leak, the boiler label or the backed-up drain tells the plumber which parts to put on the van before leaving the shop.

When the plumber arrives, the first job is to stop the damage: water off, drain cleared, gas made safe. Then you get a written estimate for the repair before that work starts.

We answer in English, Spanish and French, at night, on weekends and on holidays.

Emergencies we see in old Brooklyn buildings

Many Brooklyn buildings are close to a hundred years old, and in them the same failures come up again and again:

• Cast iron stacks that crack along the seam inside a wall, so the leak shows up one floor below. See piping and repiping.
• Galvanized supply pipe rusted from the inside, which pinholes without warning, often at a threaded joint.
• House traps under the cellar floor in brownstones, which clog and push sewage back up the floor drain. See sewer and drain.
• Pipes along front walls in walk-ups that freeze on the first hard cold night of the winter.

Co-ops, condos and rental buildings

In a multi-family building, one leak usually touches two or three units. We work with the super and the managing agent, find which line the water is actually coming from, and shut down only that riser when we can, so the rest of the building keeps water. Boards and managing agents can get a certificate of insurance before we start. Read more on plumbing for property managers.

Before the next one: four things worth ten minutes

• Find your main water valve today and make sure the handle turns. Tag it so anyone in the house can find it.
• Insulate any pipe that runs along an outside wall or through an unheated crawl space before January.
• Keep grease out of the kitchen sink. In older Brooklyn lines it is the most common cause of a backup.
• Have the boiler serviced before the heating season, so it doesn't quit on the coldest night. Our NP Care plans include a yearly inspection.

Recent jobs by our crew

Real photos from Nationwide Plumbers jobs in Brooklyn and NYC. No stock images.