Plumbing tips and guides

Find your main shutoff before you need it. In most metro Atlanta homes it is at the front foundation wall, in a garage, or in a basement near where the service line enters. Homes on crawlspaces often have it at the meter box near the street, which needs a meter key.

Turn the water off, then open the lowest faucet in the house to drain pressure out of the system. Kill power to any circuit near standing water, move what you can off wet flooring, and call (404) 380-7641. Extraction started within hours is the difference between drying a floor and replacing it.

Georgia freezes are short but sharp, and the pipes that fail are the ones with no insulation: hose bibbs, crawlspace runs, and lines in exterior walls or unheated garages. Disconnect hoses, cover outdoor faucets, and insulate exposed pipe before the first hard night.

During a freeze, open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls and let a pencil-thin stream run at the fixture farthest from the meter. If a line does freeze, shut off the main before it thaws, because most freeze damage becomes visible only once water starts moving again.