Signs you need this fixed
- Carpet edge damp after a thunderstorm
- Floor drain bubbling up during rain
- Motor drones yet the pit level holds
- Float wedged on the liner wall
Shut-off first: the ten-minute checklist
Before you dial anyone, stop the water. Each Toronto house has a main valve where the supply pipe enters, nearly always low on the street-facing basement wall. Turn a round wheel handle clockwise until it stops. A lever needs only a quarter turn, ending crosswise to the pipe.
- Close the main valve, or the fixture stop under the sink or toilet if the leak is local.
- Switch off breakers for any circuit near standing water. If the panel is wet, stay out and call Toronto Hydro.
- Open a low tap in the basement to drain pressure out of the lines.
- If the heater is leaking, set its gas dial to pilot or off and shut the cold valve above the tank.
- Lift rugs, cartons and anything electronic onto a shelf or upstairs.
- Take photos before you mop. Your insurer will want them.
What counts as a true emergency
Some things cannot wait for morning: a pipe spraying, sewage coming up the floor drain, a toilet overflowing nonstop, a dry house in midwinter, or any gas odour by the heater. With gas, get out of the house before you phone Enbridge. A dripping tap, a slow sink or a toilet that runs a little can usually hold until regular hours, and you save the after-hours premium.
How a night call is handled
A real person answers the phone. We ask what you see, whether the water is off, and whether anyone is at risk. If you can safely wait, we tell you so honestly. If not, a plumber heads out with a stocked van. On site we confirm the source, make it safe, and either finish the repair or set a temporary fix so the house has water overnight. Nothing permanent goes in without your say.
After the water stops: drying and insurance notes
Water soaks into drywall, baseboards and subfloor fast. Get fans and a dehumidifier running the same day, and pull up wet carpet underlay; it rarely survives. Most Ontario home policies treat sudden bursts differently from slow leaks and sewer backup, which often needs its own endorsement. Check your policy wording, save receipts, and ask us to write down what caused the leak. That note helps the adjuster understand what happened.
What is included on the visit
Tools on the truck
- Wet vac and floor squeegee
- Camera for the weeping tile and lateral
- Float switch tester and backup battery
What we open
Sump lid, the backwater valve access cap or the floor drain
How we test it
Hose water into the pit until the switch trips, twice
How the job runs
Ring the line
Say what is dripping, backing up or banging. Water still flowing? We guide your hand to the valve first.
Find the cause
The plumber traces the fault, with a scope or gauge where one earns its keep.
Pick the fix
Options come in everyday language, and nothing starts until you choose.
Repair & prove it
We finish, run the water to prove it, wipe up and leave a short written record.
Calls we field, answered plainly
Who do I phone first, Toronto Water or a plumber?
When the leak sits on your side of the property line, phone a plumber. If the street is flooding or the City valve at the curb is leaking, call 311 so Toronto Water can respond.
Is it safe to stay home after a pipe bursts?
Usually, once the water is off and electrical circuits near the leak are switched off. Where sewage has reached living space, keep kids and animals out until it has been disinfected.