Van Franey Plumbing has been providing 24 Hour emergency service throughout Southwest Florida for over 47 years.
We have experienced, highly trained plumbers on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ready for all plumbing emergencies such as pipe bursts and sewer backups.
If you have a plumbing emergency, please call us at (239) 851-0207 so that a plumber can begin assisting you immediately.
What counts as a plumbing emergency
An emergency is water going where it should not and not stopping, or a house that cannot be used. A supply line that has burst, a water heater tank that has split, sewage coming up in a tub or shower, a toilet that keeps overflowing after the supply is shut, or no water at all with no notice from the utility are emergencies. A drip with a bucket under it, a slow drain, a running toilet, or no hot water can wait until morning.
The line between the two is damage that is still happening. If you can stop the water, the emergency usually ends there and the repair becomes a normal call. If you cannot, or if what came up is sewage, call now.
What to do in the first minutes
Shut the water off. On most homes here the main shutoff is a valve on the supply line where it enters the house, usually on the outside wall near the hose bib closest to the street, or in the garage near the water heater. Turn it clockwise until it stops. If the valve is stuck or you cannot find it, the meter box at the curb has a valve too, and a meter key or a pair of pliers will turn it. Well homes have a breaker or switch for the pump.
- Close the main shutoff or the fixture shutoff if the leak is at one fixture.
- For a water heater leak, close the cold supply valve above the heater and turn off its breaker or gas valve.
- Turn off the breaker to any room where water has reached outlets or fixtures.
- Move what you can out of the water and open a door or window if sewage is involved.
- Call (239) 851-0207. A plumber answers 24/7.
What the plumber does on arrival
The first job is to make sure the water is stopped, then to find the source. A wet ceiling is not the leak; the leak is upstream of it, and finding it is most of the work on a burst line inside a wall or under a slab. Once the source is known, the repair is made or, when a full repair needs parts or daylight, the line is isolated so the rest of the house can have water back. On a sewer backup, the main line is cleared from the cleanout so the house drains, and we tell you what came up and what should be cleaned or replaced.
The emergencies we see most in Southwest Florida
- Burst supply lines. Polybutylene and early CPVC in attics and walls let go without warning, often at a fitting. A slab leak on copper shows up as a warm spot on the floor, a sound of running water, or a water bill that doubled.
- Water heater failures. A tank that rusts through drains 40 or 50 gallons and keeps refilling until the supply is closed. Garage heaters flood the garage; closet and attic heaters flood the house.
- Main line backups. Roots, wipes, and grease stop the main, and the lowest fixture in the house is where it comes up. In pre-1975 homes with cast iron drains, the pipe itself is often the reason.
- No water at all. A failed well pump in Lehigh Acres or Alva, a broken service line between the meter and the house, or a utility repair on the street. We help you work out which before anything is dug.
- Washing machine and supply hoses. A rubber hose that splits behind the washer, or an icemaker or toilet supply line that lets go, can run for hours before anyone notices.
Seasonal homes and homes that sit empty
Many of the worst floods we see are in houses where no one was home. A small leak in a closed-up house in July runs for weeks, and the humidity does the rest. If you leave for the summer, shut the main valve before you go, turn the water heater off or to vacation mode, and leave a key and our number with a neighbor, a property manager, or a caretaker who checks the house. If a neighbor or a manager calls us about a house in Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Springs, or Naples whose owner is up north, we can work with them to stop the water and then reach you to agree on the repair.
If the house is a condo
In a condominium the line between your pipes and the association's is not always obvious in the moment. Shut your unit's valve if it has one, tell the building manager or the front desk right away, because water travels down through the units below, and call us. We work with associations and property managers throughout Lee and Collier County, and we can sort out the responsibility question after the water is stopped.
Read this while you wait
- Is this a plumbing emergency, or can it wait until morning?
- A pipe burst. What do I do in the next five minutes?
- Where is my main water shutoff valve, and should I close it when I leave town?
- Sewage backup in the house: safety first, then who to call
- No water at all? Meter, well pump, or utility
Common questions about emergency calls
Is a plumber really available at night and on weekends?
Yes. A plumber answers 24/7. Tell us what is happening and whether the water is stopped, and we will tell you what to do next while a plumber is on the way.
Where is my main water shutoff?
On most Southwest Florida homes it is on the supply line at the outside wall near the front hose bib, or in the garage near the water heater. The meter box at the curb has a second valve. Well homes shut off at the pump breaker or switch.
Should I call if I already stopped the water?
Yes, but it may not need to be an emergency visit. If the water is off and nothing is still getting wet, tell us that when you call, and we will schedule the repair at the next normal opening.
What if I am out of state and my neighbor found the leak?
Have the neighbor or your property manager call us and shut the main if they can. We will work with them on site and reach you to agree on the repair before it is made.