Plumbing Questions in Atlanta, GA, Answered Before You Call

Our dispatch line answers, and the dispatcher asks what is happening, where in the house, when it started and whether water is still running. You will also be asked for your ZIP code and street. The job is then handed to a plumber who covers your neighborhood. Have the name on your water bill ready, because several utilities serve this area and the plumber may need to know which one is yours.

That depends on demand, how far the plumber is from your address, traffic and the kind of job, and no arrival time is promised on the phone. Service availability and response times vary with demand and conditions. Telling the dispatcher whether water is still running and whether the problem is getting worse helps place the call. The dispatcher can tell you what is possible for your address when you call.

Stop the water at its source if you can: close the shutoff valve under the fixture, or the main valve, typically beside the meter or where the pipe enters through the wall. Keep people away from standing water near outlets and appliances, move belongings out of the wet area and take photos of the damage before cleaning up. Chemical drain cleaners are hazardous to handle and can complicate a later repair, so leave them out of it. A gas smell is the exception: get out of the building before you phone anyone. The homepage steps for urgent problems cover the rest.

No. This line is for plumbing only. Electrical work, heating and cooling and general repairs are separate trades, so call the right contractor for those and the dispatch line for pipes, drains, heaters and fixtures.

Buyers and inspectors tend to ask about old or mixed supply pipe, the age of the water heater, slow drains, signs of past leaks and the condition of the sewer line. A sewer camera inspection is a common request because the line is buried and a problem there is expensive to find later. Sellers who fix a leak or a failing fixture before listing avoid the question. Keep permit numbers and written findings for any plumbing work, since a buyer may ask for them.

A tenant should report the problem to the landlord or property manager, who normally decides who is called and arranges access. A landlord or manager can call the dispatch line directly, and should tell the dispatcher the unit number, how a plumber gets in and who authorizes the work. If water is running and nobody can be reached, closing the shutoff is reasonable for anyone present.

Both. Homes and businesses use the same dispatch line, and commercial jobs have their own page on the commercial plumbing page. For a business, say what kind of building it is, the hours it is open and how a plumber gets access, because that decides when the work can be done.