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Emergency Guides Guides
10 guides — costs, troubleshooting, and how to hire without getting burned.
Start hereBurst Pipe? Exactly What to Do in the First 30 Minutes
Pipe just burst: shut the main water valve, kill power to wet areas, open faucets to drain, then document everything for insurance before cleanup. The 30-minute playbook, where your shutoff valve hides, and what the repair will cost.
Frozen Pipes: How to Thaw Them Safely (and When It's Already Too Late)
No water from one faucet in a deep freeze? Open the tap, find the frozen section, and thaw with a hair dryer or heat — never a torch. The safe thawing playbook, the burst-warning signs, and what plumbers charge.
AC Died in a Heat Wave? The Triage Playbook Before You Pay Emergency Rates
AC quit at 102°F: check the breaker, thermostat batteries, filter, and the frozen-coil trap first — 20 minutes of triage fixes a surprising share of "dead" ACs. Then how to survive the night, and when emergency rates are actually worth it.
Furnace Died in a Cold Snap? Triage First, Then Protect the Pipes
No heat at 10°F: thermostat, breaker, filter, gas valve, and the reset sequence — then space-heater safety and the pipe-protection moves that prevent a second disaster. When the smell of gas changes everything.
Roof Leaking Right Now? Contain, Document, Tarp — in That Order
Water coming through the ceiling: catch it, relieve the ceiling bulge with one screwdriver hole, kill power overhead, photograph everything, then tarp. Why you should NOT climb on a wet roof, and how insurance treats emergency tarping.
Sewage Backing Up? Stop Using Water, Protect Your Health, Check One Policy Line
Sewage in the tub or floor drain: stop all water use now, keep kids/pets away, and check whether you have the water-backup endorsement most policies DON'T include. Main-line clog vs. city problem, snaking costs, and the cleanup rules.
Water Heater Leaking? Find the Source First — It Decides Everything
Water under the water heater: shut off power/gas and the cold inlet, then find the source — a $15 valve drip and a failed tank look identical from the doorway. The triage map, when it's replacement, and the 30-minute damage-control plan.
Burning Smell, Hot Outlet, or a Breaker That Won't Reset: The Electrical Emergency Line
Some electrical problems wait for Monday; some burn houses down tonight. The bright line: burning smell, warm outlets/panel, repeated tripping, buzzing, or scorch marks = stop resetting and call. What to flip off, and what the visit costs.
48 Hours Before a Hurricane: The Homeowner Checklist That Also Protects Your Claim
Two days out: photograph the whole house (your future claim depends on it), clear drains and projectiles, fill water, charge everything, know your shutoffs. The hour-by-hour checklist plus the insurance moves people skip.
After the Hailstorm: The 7-Day Checklist (Before the Door-Knockers Win)
Hail just hit: photograph the hail with a ruler today, document damage from the ground, get your own roofer before the storm chasers knock, and understand RCV holdbacks before cashing any check. The 7-day sequence.