Connected Craftsman LLC
Call 911 or Your Utility First, For These
Gas smell, water you can't shut off, anything live and sparking, a downed power line — those go to 911 or the utility's emergency line, not a handyman. They're staffed around the clock and equipped for exactly this. Everything below is for the next tier down: serious, but not actively dangerous.
The First Five Minutes
Water: Find your main shut-off before you need it — usually where the water line enters the house, in the basement or a utility closet. Turning it off stops a burst pipe from becoming a flooded basement while you wait for help.
Electrical: If water has reached an outlet or appliance, cut power to that circuit at the breaker panel before touching anything near it. Don't stand in standing water near an electrical source.
Gas: If you smell it, get everyone out, don't touch a light switch on your way out, and call from outside. This is not a wait-and-see situation.
Drains: A plunger or a hand snake is fine for a simple clog. If you're meeting real resistance and nothing's moving, stop — that usually means the blockage is further down the line than a plunger can reach, and forcing it can crack a pipe.
What Counts as an Emergency, and What Can Wait
A burst pipe, a gas smell, a tree limb through the roof during a storm — same-day, no question. A dripping faucet, a stuck window, a garage door opener that's acting up — genuinely annoying, but it'll keep for 24 to 48 hours while you get a real appointment instead of an after-hours rate.
When you're not sure which one you're looking at, ask two questions: is anyone in danger, and is the damage actively getting worse right now? If either answer is yes, treat it as an emergency.
Before You Call
Ask any provider — before you need them, not during the crisis — what their actual after-hours coverage looks like. "We're available 24/7" and "someone answers the phone at 11pm and shows up by 9am" are both technically true and very different experiences. The provider worth keeping in your contacts is the one who tells you the honest version upfront.