Is it a plumbing emergency, or can it wait?

Call now

• A burst or leaking supply pipe you cannot isolate, or water coming through a ceiling.
• Sewage backing up into the house.
• No water at all and you have checked with the utility (or, on a well, the breaker).
• A gas smell near a gas water heater: leave the house and call the gas utility or 911 from outside.
• A water heater leaking from the tank that you cannot shut off.

Usually can wait for regular hours

• A dripping faucet or a running toilet; turn off the valve under it.
• One slow or clogged drain, if other fixtures work.
• No hot water, if cold water still works; turn off power or gas to the heater.
• A small leak under a sink, once the fixture shutoff is closed.

First steps for any leak

1. Close the shutoff for that fixture, or the main water shutoff. Find it before you need it. Where shutoffs are.
2. Turn off electricity to wet areas if you can do it safely from a dry spot.
3. Take photos before cleanup.
4. Start moving water out and drying.

Utility or plumber?

Water bubbling up in the street, at the meter, or between the street and the meter is the utility's problem. City of Newberry Utilities: 803-321-1018 during business hours and 803-276-0311 after hours, weekends and holidays. Newberry County Water & Sewer Authority: (803) 276-7020. Everything after the meter is yours, and a plumber's job. Who to call for each problem.

When the weather is the cause

Burst pipes cluster on the coldest mornings of the year. When a hard freeze is forecast, a banner appears at the top of this site, and the freeze center shows the pipe-freeze risk for the week. Burst pipe steps.