Short answer
Shea Plumbing takes emergency calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across Kingston and the area around it, from Napanee to Gananoque, north to Sharbot Lake and Westport, and on the islands. Call (613) 449-1758. Tell us what's happening and where, and you'll get the earliest arrival time and the price before any work starts. While you wait, shut off the water at the main valve.
What to do while you wait
- Shut off the water. For one fixture, close the small valve underneath it. For anything bigger, close the main shut-off. In most Kingston houses it's in the basement where the water line comes through the floor or front wall, next to the meter. Turn it clockwise until it stops.
- Stay clear of wet electrics. If water has reached outlets, the furnace or the electrical panel, don't walk through it. Only switch off power at the panel if you can reach it from a dry spot.
- Stop using the drains. If sewage is backing up, don't flush or run taps, the dishwasher or the washer until the line is cleared. Whatever goes down comes back up.
- Protect the water heater. If the tank is leaking, or the main will be off for a while, set a gas heater to "pilot" or "vacation" and switch off the breaker for an electric one.
- Take photos. Photograph the water and any damage before you clean up. Your insurer will ask for them.
If you smell gas, that isn't a plumbing call. Leave the house and phone 911 or your gas utility from outside.
Is it an emergency, or can it wait until morning?
Call right away for:
- A burst or leaking supply pipe you can't shut off
- Sewage coming up through a floor drain, tub or toilet
- A water heater leaking from the tank itself
- A failed sump pump with water rising in the pit
- Frozen pipes in a cold snap, or no water at all
- The only toilet in the house overflowing or out of action
A dripping tap, a slow bathroom sink or a running toilet can usually wait for a booked visit. If you're not sure, call and ask. We'll tell you straight whether it needs someone tonight.
Your pipe or the city's?
On Kingston city water, if the whole street has lost water, or water is coming up out of the ground near the road, the problem is probably on the municipal side. Call Utilities Kingston's 24-hour line at 613-546-1181 first. The pipes from your property line into the house are the owner's responsibility, and that's where we come in.
In Amherstview, Napanee and Gananoque the local municipality runs the water system, not Utilities Kingston. On a rural well, everything from the well to the tap is yours.
What an emergency visit costs
You get the price before any work starts, at 2 p.m. or 2 a.m. There's no call-out fee. Nights and weekends carry an after-hours rate. You hear it on the phone before we come. Nothing gets added to the invoice that you didn't agree to, and the work is covered by our 12-month parts and labour guarantee.
Why call Shea Plumbing at 2 a.m.
- The price first, at night too. No call-out fee, and you hear the after-hours rate on the phone before we come.
- The owner comes. Conor Ryan, a Master Plumber, Red Seal certified and a G1 gas technician, with 12+ years in the trade.
- Fixed right, or fixed free. If the same problem comes back within 12 months of our repair, we come back and fix it free.
- Checked by customers, not by us. 10 of 59 Google reviews mention a same-day, next-day, evening, weekend or holiday visit. All 59 are five stars, and the BBB rates us A+.
