The storm line
What happens when you call the storm line
One number, answered by a plumber at any hour. This is the order we work in.
- 01
Step 1: A plumber answers
The storm line rings through to the phone of the plumber on call. On a rota, that's Sonia, Wesley or Nathan; there's no answering service and no call center.
- 02
Step 2: Four questions
Is water still rising? Is the pump running or silent? Is the power on? Is there standing water near outlets, the panel or the furnace? The answers decide what comes first.
- 03
Step 3: Safety first
If water is near outlets or the panel, we tell you to stay upstairs. We don't ask you to wade in to read a pump label.
- 04
Step 4: A plumber comes
We tell you an arrival window on the phone. In a storm, calls are taken by how much water is in the house, and we say so if you're waiting behind others.
- 05
Step 5: We stop what we can
A stuck float, a dead pump, a closed valve, a blocked outlet: we fix the source, or set a temporary pump while we do.
- 06
Step 6: Photos for your file
We photograph the pit, the pump label, the drain line and the water line, and text them to you the same night. You decide what to send your adjuster.
- Do this firstStanding water near outlets or the panel: stay out of the basement and call from upstairs.
Plain answers
Who answers, what it costs, what we won't do
Who answers at night
The plumber on call, on their own phone. Daytime calls go to Camilo at the shop, who sends the nearest truck.
Do nights cost more?
Yes. Calls between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m., on weekends and on holidays carry an after-hours charge. You hear it on the phone, before the truck leaves.
When you get the number
A storm-night call is billed by the hour, with the rate stated on the phone. The permanent fix gets its own written price the next day.
What we hand off
We stop the source and get the plumbing working. Drying out, wet drywall, flooring and mold are a water-damage contractor's work, and we'll say so on the phone.
Before the next one
Make the storm line a short call
Three minutes tonight shortens the call in a storm.
Find the pit and the pump. Know whether you have a battery backup.
Know where the main water shutoff and the panel are.
Put the storm line in your phone and your partner's.
Photograph the pump's label while it's dry.
Water in the basement now?
Call from upstairs. A plumber answers.