Emergency Plumber in Lake County, IL: What to Do First

Do these four things before you send anything

Smell gas? Leave the house.

Do not flip a light switch, use the phone indoors, or go looking for the leak. Walk out, then call 911 from outside, or the gas utility on your bill. Nicor Gas and North Shore Gas each cover part of Lake County.

Stay out of water near power.

If water is rising toward outlets, the furnace, or the breaker panel, do not wade in. Cut the power only if the panel is dry and you can reach it from dry footing. If not, stay out and call 911.

Shut the water off.

Most fixtures have a valve under the sink or behind the toilet. Turn it clockwise. If that does not stop it, find the main valve where the water line enters the house, usually near the meter.

Then slow the damage.

Towels and a bucket. Lift what you can off the floor. Take one photo of the source before you mop, because the plumber and your insurer will both ask.

What the sound or the puddle usually means

Water sprays or hisses behind a wall

A supply line has split. This is the one that fills a basement, so the main valve comes first and the phone second. In a cold snap it is often a pipe in an outside wall or an unheated crawl space.

Every drain in the house is slow at once

One slow sink is a drain cleaning job. Every drain at once points at the main line out of the house. Stop running water and read sewer line repair before you pour anything down a drain.

Water rises out of the basement floor drain

That drain is the lowest opening in the house, so a blocked main line shows up there first. If it smells like sewage, treat the water as unsafe. If it is clear water during a storm, look at the sump pit instead.

The sump pit is full and the pump is quiet

Check the breaker and the float first. A pump that hums but moves nothing is jammed or air locked. Sump pump repair covers the rest.

No hot water, and a puddle at the tank

Shut the cold inlet valve on top of the tank. Turn the gas control off, or switch off the breaker for an electric tank. A tank leaking from the shell is finished. See water heater repair.

What we will not promise you

We cannot tell you how fast a plumber will reach you.

North Shore Plumbing hands your request to a plumber licensed in Illinois who covers your town. We do not hold a plumbing license and we do not drive to your house, so an arrival time is not ours to give.

So do not wait on us. If this is an emergency, call a local licensed plumber directly and work the shut-off steps above right now. Then send the form at the foot of this page, and pick Emergency where it asks how urgent it is.

Why these calls cluster in Lake County

Winter splits the shallow pipe: Illinois rules put a water service pipe at least 36 inches down, or below the local frost line if that is deeper. Highland Park asks for five feet. A line run shallow years ago is the one that splits in January. Source for Winter splits the shallow pipe
One storm can beat every record: The Des Plaines River at Gurnee crested at 12.09 feet in July 2017, above the old record of 11.95 feet from 1986. Libertyville logged 5.17 inches of rain in one morning and closed roads across the village. Source for One storm can beat every record
A lot of the pipe here is old: Waukegan counts roughly 9,000 lead water service lines out of more than 21,000. Libertyville lists 331 confirmed lead services and 537 more of unknown material out of 7,380. Source for A lot of the pipe here is old

If it is urgent but not a flood

Find your town

What happens after you press send

A person reads every request, then passes it to a plumber licensed in Illinois who covers your town, and they contact you to quote and schedule. If we cannot place your request with a licensed plumber who covers your town, we tell you. The whole path is on how it works. You can check any Illinois license on the state's plumber license verification page.

How much is an emergency plumbing service?

We do not quote, so any figure here would be invented. What moves it is the hour, the day, whether the job is a repair or a replacement, and how much has to be opened up to reach the pipe. The plumber gives you the number before work starts.

How much does a plumber cost in Illinois?

It depends on the job, not the state. Ask for the call-out charge and the rate separately, and ask what happens to that charge if you go ahead. Get it in writing first.

Is this a 24 hour plumber service?

No. North Shore Plumbing is a form, not a phone room. We read requests and pass them on, and the plumber sets their own hours. If you need somebody on the phone this minute, call a plumber directly.

Should I shut the main off even for a small leak?

If you cannot see where it comes from, yes. A slow drip inside a wall does more damage overnight than a burst pipe you caught at once.

Dirty water is coming up through the floor. Is that dangerous?

Treat it as unsafe. Keep children and pets out, stop using the toilets and the washer, and do not walk in it barefoot. Say it is sewage in the form, because it changes who takes the job.

What to put in the form for an emergency

What you shut off, and whether it worked. Main valve, fixture valve, gas, breaker.
Where the water is coming from. Under a sink, at the heater, through the ceiling, up a floor drain, or somewhere you cannot see.
Whether it is clean or dirty. Clear water is a supply problem. Gray or brown water that smells is a drain or sewer problem, and it changes who should take the job.
Whether anyone is stuck. Say if someone has limited mobility, or if the only bathroom is the one that is out.
Your town and cross street. The plumber who takes the job is the one already working near you.

North Shore Plumbing connects Lake County homeowners with a licensed local plumber. We are not a plumbing contractor.

Water off, photo taken?

Send the details now. A person reads every request. If the water is still running, call a licensed plumber directly as well.

Water you cannot stop