Done’s emergency plumbing team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. When you call with an active plumbing emergency — a burst pipe, sewage backup, or loss of water — our dispatch team works to get a licensed plumber to your home as quickly as possible. Response times depend on your location within our service area and current call volume, but emergency calls are always prioritized over routine scheduled work.

What Qualifies as a Plumbing Emergency

Not every plumbing problem requires an emergency call — and knowing the difference helps you make the best decision for your situation. True plumbing emergencies are situations where waiting until normal business hours would result in significant water damage, a health hazard, or complete loss of a critical service.

  • Burst or actively leaking pipes: Even a slow drip behind a wall can cause serious structural damage and mold within 24–48 hours if not addressed. A pipe that has burst and is flowing water is always an emergency.
  • Sewage backup: If wastewater is backing up into tubs, showers, or floor drains, the sewer line is blocked and the situation will worsen the more the home is used. This is a health hazard and requires immediate attention.
  • No hot water in winter: A water heater failure in the middle of a Colorado cold snap — when temperatures can drop well below zero — is a comfort and in some cases a health emergency, particularly for households with young children or elderly occupants.
  • Frozen and burst pipes: When temperatures drop sharply, pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces, or unheated garages can freeze and split. Acting immediately limits the water damage when the pipe thaws.
  • Gas smell with a plumbing appliance: If you smell gas near a water heater or any gas-connected plumbing fixture, evacuate and call immediately — both the gas utility and Done.

What to Do While You Wait for a Plumber

If you have an active water leak, the most important step before the plumber arrives is to shut off the water supply. For a single fixture, the angle stop valve under the sink or behind the toilet should close the supply to that fixture only. If the leak is behind a wall or you cannot isolate it to a single fixture, shut off the main water supply to the house — typically located where the main line enters the home from the street, often near the water meter or in a utility room.

For a sewage backup, stop using all water-consuming fixtures in the home immediately. Every flush, every sink drain, and every load of laundry puts more wastewater into an already-blocked system and increases the risk of overflow. Open windows if there is any odor, and keep children and pets away from affected areas.

How Colorado’s Climate Creates Seasonal Emergency Spikes

The Front Range sees predictable spikes in emergency plumbing calls around two events: sudden cold snaps in late fall before homeowners have winterized, and the rapid warming periods in late winter when frozen pipes thaw. Denver’s weather is notorious for dramatic temperature swings — a week of mild weather followed by a rapid drop to single digits is not unusual, and that’s precisely when pipes in vulnerable locations freeze.

If a hard freeze is forecast, take preventive steps before it hits: let faucets on exterior walls drip overnight, open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls to let heated air circulate, and make sure your main shutoff valve is accessible and functional. Taking five minutes before a cold snap can prevent hours of water damage cleanup and an expensive emergency repair.

Emergency Calls vs. After-Hours Scheduling

If your situation is urgent but not immediately dangerous — a slow drain that’s been getting worse, a running toilet, or a faucet that’s been dripping for a week — you don’t need to use the emergency line. Those calls can be scheduled for the next available appointment and handled without emergency pricing. The emergency line is reserved for situations where damage is actively occurring or a critical service is completely unavailable.

For active plumbing emergencies, contact Done any time — our emergency plumbing service is available around the clock. For less urgent plumbing needs, explore our full range of plumbing services, or visit our contact page to schedule at your convenience.