A plumbing emergency is no time for speeches. The first move matters more than anything else.
What to do right now, depending on what is happening
In every case, start with the main water shutoff: the valve is usually in the basement, near the meter or the front wall. Closing it cuts the water to the whole house and stops most of the damage.
- Active water leak: shut the main water supply. If water is nearing an outlet, an electrical panel or a light fixture, cut power to that area only if you can do it safely.
- Sewer backup: stop sending water down the drains. No washer, no shower, no flushing. Do not touch the water with bare hands.
- Frozen line: open the affected tap to release pressure. No torch, no open flame; gentle heat in the room, and call us before it cracks.
- Water heater leaking from the bottom: shut the tank's water supply and its breaker. The tank is done, but the damage can be limited.
- No water at all: check whether the neighbours have the same problem before calling us; if they do, it is the city.
Move what can be damaged, mop up to limit the damage, take a photo or two for your records. Then call.
What happens when you call
You reach a plumber, not a call centre. Describe what you see: where the water is, since when, what you have shut off. We tell you right away what we can do and when we can be there, and if another call comes before yours, we tell you honestly rather than keep you waiting.
On site, we stop the problem first, then look at the cause. An emergency repair that holds, and a clear explanation of what should follow, in plain words. If bigger work is needed, you receive a free written estimate, and nothing is done without your go-ahead.
Who shows up at your door
Plomberie MD is a small crew from Cantley, RBQ licence 5870-4099-01, serving Gatineau and the Outaouais. Emergencies, renovations and new houses are the same people showing up, with the same truck and the same care for your floor.
We do not play on fear. We tell you what is urgent and what can wait until tomorrow, even when that means one call fewer for us tonight.
The Gatineau area
The emergencies we see in Gatineau follow the seasons. In January and February, it is frozen lines in the outside walls and garages of houses in Hull, Aylmer and Cantley. In spring, floor drains backing up in finished basements as the snow melts. In summer, water heaters giving out and fittings letting go in houses that just changed hands.
In the older parts of town, the water entry is sometimes an old valve worth knowing before you need it. If you do not know where yours is, that is a good question to ask us during an ordinary visit.
We come to every part of the city and to the municipalities around it.
Common questions
Water leak right now: what should I do before you arrive?
Shut the main water supply, usually in the basement near the meter or the front wall. If water is nearing an outlet or an electrical panel, cut power to that area only if it is safe. Mop up, move what can be damaged, take a photo or two, then call the emergency line at (819) 712-3945.
Do you come out evenings and weekends?
Call the emergency line: we tell you on the phone what we can do and when. We would rather give a straight answer than a promise we cannot keep.
Does an emergency cost more?
Tell us what is happening; whatever applies is told to you on the phone, never discovered on the invoice.
My line is frozen. Can I thaw it myself?
Open the tap to release pressure and warm the room gently. Never a torch or an open flame: that is how a thaw ends in a fire or a split line. If nothing flows after a while, call us.
Water is coming up the basement drain. Is that an emergency?
Yes if the water is rising or dirty. Stop using water in the house, do not walk in it with bare feet or hands, and call. If it is only slow, that is a drain cleaning, not an emergency.
I do not know where my main water shutoff is.
In the basement, near where the meter or the incoming pipe comes through the front wall, most of the time. If you cannot find it during a leak, shut the water at the water heater and at the fixtures that have their own valve, and call.