Shut off your home's main water valve immediately, stop using any fixture connected to the affected line, and clear the immediate area of belongings and furniture if it's safe to do so. Those three actions limit damage more than anything else you can do while waiting for help to arrive.
Almost every plumbing emergency gets worse the longer water keeps flowing, whether that's a burst pipe, an overflowing toilet, or a failed water heater. Shutting off the main valve stops new water from entering your home's system entirely, which is a different and more complete fix than just turning off a single fixture, since a burst pipe elsewhere in the system will keep flowing even with one fixture closed. This is the same reasoning behind the shutoff valve placement guidelines in the International Plumbing Code (IPC).
This is exactly why it's worth locating your shutoff valve today, before anything is actually wrong. In a real emergency, fumbling to find it while water is actively flowing costs real time and adds real damage that a 30-second head start would have prevented.
Don't attempt to cut into a wall or pipe yourself hoping to access and fix the problem before we arrive; it's far more likely to turn a contained issue into a bigger, more expensive one. Don't run additional water anywhere in the house "to help flush things through," which almost always makes an active problem worse rather than better. And don't wait to see if a slow leak or drip resolves itself before calling; the honest pattern we see is that waiting almost always costs more than acting early.
Active emergency right now? Call (480) 741-9332.
A burst pipe calls for shutting off the main valve immediately, since a fixture-specific shutoff won't stop water coming from elsewhere in the system. An overflowing toilet is usually solvable by shutting off the small valve directly behind the toilet, no need to cut water to the whole house for that specific fixture. A failed water heater with visible leaking should have its dedicated shutoff valve closed, typically located on the cold water line feeding into the tank, along with the gas or electric supply if you know how to do that safely.
If you're ever unsure which valve controls what, closing the main shutoff is always the safe default option while you wait for a professional, even if it's slightly broader than strictly necessary.
A technician responding to an emergency call starts with a quick assessment of the immediate situation, confirming the water is actually off and the area is safe, before moving into diagnosis and repair. Having the area cleared and a clear description ready genuinely speeds this up, since less time gets spent figuring out what happened and more time goes directly into fixing it.
We're ready when you are: Call (480) 741-9332.
Once the active leak or burst is stopped and the immediate danger has passed, take photos of any damage before cleanup begins, useful if you end up filing an insurance claim. If standing water has been present for more than a day, consider whether a separate water damage or mold remediation service is needed alongside the plumbing repair itself. Those are genuinely different scopes of work, and we'll tell you plainly if a situation has moved beyond what a plumbing repair alone can resolve.
Keep the main water valve off until the repair is actually complete, even if the immediate flow has stopped, since a partial fix can still allow water through under normal household pressure.
Plumbing emergencies don't wait for business hours, and a surprising number of the calls we get come in overnight. Our emergency line is answered 24/7 by a real dispatcher, not an automated system, specifically because a burst pipe at 2am needs the same urgency as one at 2pm. The steps above apply exactly the same regardless of what time it happens.
Printing or saving a short version of this list, main valve location, our number, and the basic don't-do steps, somewhere easy to find genuinely helps in the moment. An emergency is exactly the wrong time to be searching for information you could have had ready in advance, and a minute saved locating your shutoff valve is a minute less water damage spreading through your home.
Save our number now: (480) 741-9332.
If you rent rather than own, the same immediate steps apply, shut off the main valve if you have access to it, and stop using affected fixtures, but you should also notify your landlord or property manager as soon as it's safe to do so. Some rental situations require the property owner's own plumber or approval before outside repair work begins, so a quick call alongside your own emergency response avoids a conflict over who's authorized to make the call.
Shut off your main valve and call. We answer 24/7.
For an active burst pipe, see burst pipe repair. For a water heater failure, water heater repair covers emergency diagnosis, and general plumbing repair is the right call if you're not sure exactly what's wrong.
In most Queen Creek homes, it's near the water meter at the street-facing edge of the property, or sometimes near an exterior hose bib closer to the house. It's worth locating and confirming this before an emergency happens, not during one.
For a burst pipe or active flooding, no. Shutting off the water is the right immediate action; attempting a repair yourself, especially cutting into a wall or pipe, usually makes the eventual professional repair more complicated and expensive.
No. Avoid using any electrical outlets, switches, or appliances in an area with standing or recently standing water, and if water is near an electrical panel, that's a reason to also shut off power to the affected area if you can safely do so.
A brief, clear description of what happened and when, access to the area (move furniture or belongings if it's safe to do so), and, if you've already documented anything for insurance, photos of the damage before cleanup started.
By the Queen Creek Apex Plumbing team · Published March 2026