Updated
An active leak or sewer backup is a phone call, not a routine online booking. Stop using the affected fixtures, keep people away from the area and describe what is happening. Only close a water shutoff if you know what it controls and can reach it safely.
Need help with your property? Call 506.696.7000.
Stay outside the hazard
Do not walk into water near electrical equipment, enter sewage or reach through a wet area to operate a switch. If there is an immediate danger to life, call 911. For a suspected natural-gas leak, leave the area and call Liberty at 1-800-994-2762 from a safe location. An ordinary plumbing appointment is not the response to a gas emergency.
Reference: Liberty: natural-gas emergencies.
Explain what you can observe
You do not need to diagnose the failure before calling.
- Where is the water appearing, and is it still spreading?
- Is it clean water or wastewater?
- Is one fixture affected, or several?
- Has the water supply been shut off safely?
- What is the service address and best callback number?
Avoid making the situation harder to assess
Do not keep flushing or running water to see whether a backup has cleared. Do not add more drain cleaner after a failed treatment. Tell the technician which products were used and any work already attempted. Take photos only from a safe position.
Confirm the next step by phone
The office needs to confirm availability, access and the appropriate response. A submitted web request is not confirmation that a technician is on the way. If it is safe to do so, clear a dry route to the affected area and identify the person who can authorize the work.
Make the first call clear and brief
Start with the address and the active condition: “Water is spreading from the ceiling below the bathroom” or “Wastewater is rising through the basement drain.” Then explain whether anyone is at risk, whether the affected fixtures are still being used and whether the water has been isolated safely. Give a callback number that someone will answer. You can add photographs afterward if they can be taken without approaching the hazard.
Do not delay a call to find the exact component name. A photograph of a wet floor does not establish whether the source is a supply pipe, drain, appliance or another area of the building. State what you saw, what happened just before it and what remains uncertain. If the condition changes while you are waiting, call again with that change.
Keep safety separate from damage control
Protecting belongings comes after keeping people out of danger. Public Safety Canada: flood preparedness and safety warns against entering floodwater or attempting electrical shutoff where water is present. Do not retrieve a tool, switch off equipment or reach a valve by crossing a wet area. Leave the immediate area when necessary and follow emergency responders' directions.
If you can remain on a dry, safe route, keep other occupants from using fixtures connected to a backing-up drain. Avoid directing water to another drain whose condition is unknown. Do not open a cleanout, dismantle a trap or use powered drain equipment during an uncontrolled backup. These actions can release more wastewater and make the work area harder to manage.
Tell the technician about chemical exposure
Record the product name and when it was used if you have already applied a drain chemical. Keep the container available without handling contaminated water. Health Canada: household chemical safety explains that household chemicals can cause serious harm when misused and should not be mixed. Do not add a second product, bleach or another cleaner to standing drain water.
The same disclosure matters if someone else treated the drain before you arrived. Ask the occupant or cleaner what was used; do not assume an odour or clear appearance means no product remains. Keep children and pets away. This information is about protecting the people responding, not deciding whether a product caused the original failure.
Agree on the immediate objective and the follow-up
Emergency repair, investigation and building restoration are separate pieces of work. The first visit may focus on identifying the source or controlling an active condition. Ask what can be addressed safely, what remains disconnected and which parts of the building should stay out of use. A dry surface afterward does not by itself confirm that concealed materials are dry or that sewage-affected areas have been restored.
Identify who can authorize further work, especially in a rental or multi-unit building. Keep a record of the reported source, completed actions and outstanding recommendations. Discuss damaged finishes, cleanup and any insurance requirements with the appropriate parties; do not assume they are included in a plumbing appointment. Before normal use resumes, ask what checks were completed and what specific change should trigger another call.
References
Your next step
Call 506.696.7000 to describe the problem and confirm availability. For planned work, request an estimate.
Related services
Urgent Plumbing Repairs · Emergency Services