How fast can an emergency plumber get here?

It depends on call volume and distance. Active leaks and sewage backups are prioritized. Drain Detectives gives a realistic window when you call rather than a fixed promise made before knowing the situation.

Should I call a plumber or my insurance company first?

Stop the water first, photograph everything before cleanup, then call both. The plumber handles the failure and the carrier handles the damage. Sewer backup coverage is commonly a separate endorsement rather than part of a standard policy.

Do you handle commercial plumbing emergencies?

Yes. Restaurants, multi-unit residential, retail, and facilities across Macomb, Oakland, Wayne, and southern St. Clair County. Commercial calls are triaged on operational impact.

24/7 Emergency Plumber • Metro Detroit

Emergency Plumber, 24 Hours a Day, Across Metro Detroit

Q: Do you answer emergency plumbing calls at 3am?

Yes. Drain Detectives operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. Call the line for your county, describe what is happening, and you will get a straight answer about how quickly a technician can be there.

Q: What does emergency plumbing cost?

Drain Detectives charges a service call fee to come out, diagnose, and quote, and that fee is applied to the work if you proceed. The price is approved before work begins. After-hours work costs more than scheduled work.

Q: My pipe is frozen but has not burst. Is that urgent?

It is time sensitive. An intact frozen pipe is a far better problem than a split one, and the window to act is before it thaws. Open the faucet it feeds, warm the area gradually, and never use an open flame.

Burst pipe, sewage backup, water in the basement, or no water at all. Call the line for your county and a person answers.

Macomb County (586) 296-0036 Oakland County (248) 645-2448 Not urgent Request service online

Licensed, bonded, and insured. Dispatching from Fraser, Michigan to Macomb, Oakland, Wayne, and southern St. Clair County. Nights, weekends, and holidays included.

Before we get there

Do This Right Now

These steps limit the damage while you wait. Find the one that matches what is happening.

Water is actively leaking
1. Shut off the main water valve. See below if you are not sure where it is.
2. Open a faucet at the lowest point in the house to drain pressure out of the line.
3. Move anything valuable clear of the water.
4. Photograph the damage before you clean anything up.
Sewage is backing up
1. Stop using water everywhere in the building, including the washing machine and dishwasher.
2. Keep people and pets out of the affected area. Raw sewage is a health hazard.
3. Do not pour drain chemicals into a line that is already full.
4. Photograph it before cleanup for your insurance claim.
Water heater is leaking
1. Turn off the gas control or the breaker for the unit, if you can do it safely.
2. Close the cold water supply valve above the tank.
3. Keep clear of the discharge pipe from the relief valve. That water can be scalding.
4. Call. A tank leaking from the shell will not stop on its own.
You smell gas
1. Leave the building now. Do not operate light switches, appliances, or your phone inside.
2. From outside, call your gas utility's emergency line. The number is on your bill and usually on the meter.
3. Do not go back in until the utility says it is safe.
4. Then call us for the plumbing repair.

The one thing worth knowing in advance

Where Your Main Water Shutoff Is

More damage happens waiting for a plumber than during the repair, and the difference is almost always whether somebody could find the shutoff. In most Metro Detroit homes it is in the basement, on the wall facing the street, near where the water meter sits. In a home on a slab it may be in a utility closet, the garage, or near the water heater.

Turning it off. A round handle turns clockwise, and it may take several full rotations. A lever handle turns a quarter turn so it sits crossways to the pipe.
If it will not budge, do not force it. Old gate valves seize, and snapping the stem turns one problem into two. Shut off individual fixture stops instead and tell us when you call.
Fixture stops are the small valves under sinks and behind toilets. They isolate one fixture, which is enough if the leak is local.
Worth doing on a calm day: find your main shutoff, confirm it actually turns, and make sure everyone in the house knows where it is. A seized main valve discovered during an emergency is a bad time to discover it.

Honest triage

Is This Actually an Emergency?

After-hours work costs more than scheduled work everywhere, including here. Some situations genuinely cannot wait. Others can, and we would rather tell you that than send a truck at midnight for something that will keep.

When in doubt, call and describe it. We will tell you honestly whether it can hold until morning.
Situation	Urgency	Why
Burst pipe or water you cannot stop	Call now	Damage compounds by the minute and spreads into structure and wiring
Sewage backing up into the building	Call now	Health hazard, and it worsens with every gallon anyone uses
Water rising in the basement	Call now	Furnace, water heater, and electrical are usually down there
No water at all in the house	Call now	Loss of an essential utility, and it can indicate a service line failure
Water heater leaking from the tank	Call now	A full tank empties into your basement and does not stop
Only toilet in the house is blocked	Call today	Not structural damage, but not something a household can do without
Slow drain with no backup	Business hours	Book drain cleaning and save the after-hours difference
Dripping faucet or running toilet	Business hours	Wastes water and money, but nothing is being damaged tonight
Frozen pipe, no water, nothing burst yet	Call today	Still intact, so acting before it thaws and splits is the whole opportunity

What we respond to

Emergencies We Handle

Sewer backups and main line blockages

Multiple drains failing at once, floor drain overflow, sewage odor. We clear the line first, then find out why it happened.
Sewer repair Camera inspection
Burst and frozen pipes

Split lines, pinhole leaks, and winter freeze failures in crawl spaces, garages, and exterior walls.
Leak repair
Water heater failure

A leaking tank, no hot water in a cold house, or a unit that has shut down entirely. Repair and replacement both available.
Water heaters
Sump pump failure during a storm

The classic Metro Detroit emergency. Heavy rain, snowmelt, or a power outage, and the pump that was holding the water back stops.
Sump pumps
Water service line failure

No water, sudden pressure loss, or water surfacing in the yard between the street and the house.
Water lines
Commercial emergencies

Restaurants mid-service, occupied multi-unit buildings, and facilities where a line down means the doors close.
Commercial plumbing

While you wait

Things That Make It Worse

Running more water to test whether it cleared. During a main line backup, every fixture drains into the line that is already full.
Chemical drain openers in a fully blocked line. They sit in the standing water, generate heat, attack older pipe, and make the line hazardous for whoever opens it. Tell us if any have been used.
Wading into standing water near the panel, the furnace, or outlets. If water has reached electrical, treat it as an electrical problem first. Do not reach the panel if you are standing in water.
Cleaning up before photographing. Insurance claims live and die on the documentation you take in the first hour.
Open flame on a frozen pipe. Torches start house fires and are how a plumbing problem becomes a fire department problem.

Winter

Frozen Pipes in a Michigan Cold Snap

Every hard freeze produces the same calls. Pipes in unheated crawl spaces, garages, exterior walls, and along the rim joist are the ones that fail, and sump discharge lines ice over right as meltwater arrives.

If a pipe is frozen but intact

Open the faucet it feeds so melting water has somewhere to go, then warm the area gradually with a space heater or hair dryer. Never a torch. Watch for a split as it thaws, which is when leaks usually appear.
If it has already burst

Main shutoff first, then drain the line from the lowest faucet, then call. The volume that comes through a split supply line is considerable.
Preventing the next one

Insulate exposed runs, disconnect and shut off outdoor spigots before winter, keep the heat on in unused rooms, and open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls during a deep cold snap.

Read our winter guide Leak repair

What to expect

How an Emergency Call Works

You describe what is happening, where it is happening, and whether water is actively moving. That determines both how fast we come and what the technician brings.

Response time depends on call volume and how far out you are, and anyone promising you an exact number before knowing either is guessing. Active leaks and sewage backups are prioritized over everything else. When you call, you get a realistic answer rather than a comfortable one.

On pricing: we charge a service call fee to come out, assess the problem, and quote it, and that fee is applied to the work if you go ahead. You approve the price before anything starts. After-hours work costs more than scheduled work, which is exactly why the triage table above exists.

Current coupons More questions

Service area

Emergency Plumber Near You

We dispatch from Fraser to all of Macomb County, Oakland County, Wayne County, and southern St. Clair County. If your city is not listed, call anyway. We almost certainly cover you.

Drain Detectives

18260 Malyn Blvd, Fraser, MI 48026
Macomb County: (586) 296-0036
Oakland County: (248) 645-2448
Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays

Get directions • Request service online • Read customer reviews

Related services

After the Emergency

From our blog

Preventing the Next One

Frozen Pipes and Winter Drain Backups

What to do in the first ten minutes, and what makes it worse.
7 Warning Signs a Main Sewer Line Is Failing

Most sewer emergencies gave warning first.
Common Plumbing Issues in Metro Detroit Homes

Why local housing stock produces the failures it does.
Spring Drain Cleaning Checklist

The seasonal pass that prevents the April calls.

Common questions

Emergency Plumbing FAQ

Do you really answer at 3am?

Yes. We run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. Call the line for your county, describe what is happening, and you will get a straight answer about how quickly we can be there.

How fast can you get here?

It depends on call volume and how far out you are, and any company giving you a precise number before knowing either is guessing. Active leaks and sewage backups get prioritized. We will tell you a realistic window when you call rather than a comfortable one.

Is a sewer backup an emergency?

Yes. It is a health hazard as well as a damage problem, and it worsens every time anyone in the building uses water. Stop using water entirely, keep people and pets away from the affected area, and call.

How do I shut off the water?

In most Metro Detroit homes the main valve is in the basement on the wall facing the street, near the water meter. A round handle turns clockwise and may need several rotations. A lever turns a quarter turn to sit crossways to the pipe. If it will not move, do not force it. Use the individual fixture stops under sinks and behind toilets and tell us when you call.

What does emergency plumbing cost?

We charge a service call fee to come out, diagnose, and quote, and it is applied to the work if you proceed. You approve the price before work begins. After-hours work costs more than scheduled work, which is why we will tell you honestly if your situation can safely wait until morning.

Should I call you or my insurance company first?

Stop the water first, then photograph everything before you clean up, then call both. We handle the plumbing failure. Your carrier handles the damage. Note that sewer backup coverage is commonly a separate endorsement rather than part of a standard policy, so check your declarations page.

My pipe is frozen but has not burst. Is that urgent?

It is time sensitive. An intact frozen pipe is a much better problem than a split one, and the window to act is before it thaws. Open the faucet it feeds, warm the area gradually, and never use an open flame. If you cannot locate the frozen section or it runs through a wall, call.

Do you handle commercial emergencies?

Yes. Restaurants, multi-unit residential, retail, and facilities across the same service area. Commercial calls are triaged on operational impact, not just the size of the failure. See commercial plumbing.

What areas do you cover for emergencies?

All of Macomb County, Oakland County, Wayne County, and southern St. Clair County, dispatched from our Fraser shop. If your city does not appear on our locations page, call anyway.