Scottsdale, Arizona
A burst pipe, an overflowing toilet or a leaking water heater calls for a few safe steps before anything else. This guide follows an emergency in order, from limiting the water to tracing a backup.
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North Phoenix officeServing Scottsdale
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Start with what you need
Make the area safe, describe the problem, then find out where a backup starts.
In the order it happens
Trident Plumbing & Drain answers emergency plumbing calls from Scottsdale homes and businesses through our North Phoenix office. Typical reasons to call include a burst pipe, a leak that will not stop, sewage rising through a drain and a water heater that is leaking or has quit.
Protect people first, limit the water if you can do so safely, then call with a clear description. Finding the cause is the inspection's job, not yours.
Step one
Closing the main shutoff limits how much more water enters the property. Do it only if you already know where the valve is and can get to it without stepping into standing water. If you cannot, leave it and tell the office the water is still on.
For an overflowing toilet or drain, stop using that fixture. Flushing again to see whether it clears can push more wastewater out. Get people and pets clear first; cleanup can wait.
Step two
Water near outlets, appliances or equipment is an electrical hazard, so keep out of it and never wade in to reach the breaker panel. If the power cannot be turned off safely, an electrician is the right call. If a room has become unsafe, leave it and call for emergency help.
Phone our team once you are somewhere safe. Pictures can be useful later, but only if taking them puts no one at risk. Describe what you can see without going back in to check.
Step three
Tell the office when the problem started, whether it is getting worse and what you have done so far, such as closing a valve. For a leak, give the spot where water is showing. For a backup, list the fixtures involved and any earlier backups.
Mention it if the property is a business or more than one area is affected, and say who will let the plumber in. What the repair involves depends on what is found, so a clear description helps the team prepare.
If wastewater is involved
A backup through a toilet, tub or floor drain can start in your own sewer line or in the public main it joins. Scottsdale Water explains that the city maintains the sewer main, while the property owner is responsible for the lateral running from the main to the house.
The same city page notes that Scottsdale Water can help determine where a backup is originating. Trident works on the drains and sewer lines serving your property and explains what the inspection finds before a repair is chosen.
Find the valve
Scottsdale Water says the property owner's cut-off valve is located next to the water meter box, and that the meter is usually at the front of the property near the street or sidewalk. Learn where the valve is and how it turns before a pipe bursts, and keep the box clear so you can reach it quickly. For a burst pipe, the City's advice is to turn the water off at the main shutoff valve and contact a licensed plumber.
Cold snaps call for a different plan. The City recommends wrapping exposed outdoor pipes, removing garden hoses from outside faucets and dripping those faucets at about five drops a minute when temperatures are expected to stay at 28°F or below for at least four hours. If pipes freeze and burst, shut the water off and call a plumber. The City is blunt about one point: never thaw a pipe with a torch or other open flame.
Emergency pricing
Emergency work is priced by what failed and what it takes to stop the damage and make the repair. These are the factors to ask about.
Trident is open 24/7, and weekend appointments are regularly scheduled with no additional fees. Preventative maintenance members have the emergency service fee waived.
When minutes count
Where the shutoff is, when to drip faucets and when the problem is the City's: three things to know before you need them.
The City says the property owner's cut-off valve sits next to the water meter box, usually at the front of the lot near the street or sidewalk.
Source: Scottsdale Water, Maintenance, Prevention and Troubleshooting (opens in a new tab)Drip outside faucets only when temperatures are expected to stay at 28°F or below for at least 4 hours, the City advises.
Source: Scottsdale Water, Maintenance, Prevention and Troubleshooting (opens in a new tab)If every tap stops at once, the City may have shut a main for repairs. Its customer care line can confirm before you call a plumber.
Source: Scottsdale Water, Maintenance, Prevention and Troubleshooting (opens in a new tab)Your local team
Our North Phoenix office serves Scottsdale. Call about your address, tell us what needs attention, and we'll help you arrange service.
Explore Scottsdale on the map (opens in a new tab)Your North Phoenix team
Contact our North Phoenix office with the Scottsdale address, what is happening and whether the area is safe to enter.
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From a Trident customer
We had one of those Saturdays that started out great until water starting coming out of one of our ceiling lights… she sent Quintin who got right on the problem and had us all fixed up in no time.
Answers before you book
Questions about emergency plumbing in Scottsdale? Start here, or tell us what is happening at your home.
Ask our teamYes. Trident takes calls about urgent plumbing problems at any hour. Describe what is happening and whether water is still escaping, and the office will discuss arrangements for the visit.
It is better to stop. Water from other fixtures can drain toward the same blockage and add to the overflow. Tell the office which fixtures were in use when the backup started.
Once people are safe and the water is under control, moving belongings out of the way is reasonable. Leave the damaged pipe or fixture as it is so the plumber can see the problem.
Ask what failed, what led to it and whether anything else needs attention. Repeat leaks, corrosion or blockages that keep returning are better raised now than at the next interruption.
Check with Scottsdale Water first. The City says crews sometimes shut down a main to repair a break, occasionally without notice in an emergency, and its customer care line can confirm whether your service is affected. If the City's water is on and yours is not, call us.
It depends on where the backup starts. If it is in the City's main line, the City's water utility says it repairs the main and processes any property damage claims through Risk Management. A blockage in the lateral, including the tap at the main, is the property owner's to repair.
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Contact our North Phoenix office with the Scottsdale address, what is happening and whether the area is safe to enter.