What counts as a plumbing emergency?

A plumbing emergency is anything that can quickly damage your home, interrupt your water, or create a safety issue. Common examples include burst pipes, sewage backups, major leaks, overflowing toilets, no water, and water heater failures. If you are unsure, call us and we will help you decide.

How quickly can you respond to an emergency plumbing call?

We work hard to respond as fast as possible because plumbing emergencies do not wait. Response time depends on your location, traffic, and current call volume, but we always treat urgent problems seriously and keep you informed. Our goal is to stop the damage and restore your plumbing quickly.

What should I do while waiting for the plumber to arrive?

If you can, shut off the main water supply or the nearest fixture valve to limit damage. Turn off power near standing water and avoid using affected drains or fixtures. If the problem involves a water heater, shut off its power or gas if it is safe. Then wait for our team.

Do you provide honest pricing for emergency plumbing work?

Yes. We believe customers deserve clear communication and honest estimates, even during stressful situations. After we inspect the problem, we explain what is happening, what needs to be fixed, and the expected cost before major work begins. No unfinished jobs and no runaround, just straightforward service.

Are you licensed and insured for emergency plumbing repairs?

Yes. Real Texas Plumbing - Heating and Air is fully licensed and insured, so you can feel confident when you call us for emergency service. Our experienced plumbers handle residential and commercial plumbing problems with professional care, quality workmanship, and a strong commitment to getting the job done right.

Why should I call a professional instead of trying to fix it myself?

Emergency plumbing problems can get worse fast and often cause hidden damage behind walls, under floors, or around foundations. A temporary DIY fix may not solve the real issue. We have the tools, training, and experience to diagnose the problem correctly and protect your property. Contact us today.

How much does an emergency plumber cost in Lago Vista?

Every visit starts with a $65 trip charge, credited toward the work. Plumbing leak repair starts at $389, pipe repair at $700, frozen or burst pipe repair at $800, and grinder pump alarm repair at $750. You get a written price before any work starts.

What do I do if my grinder pump alarm goes off?

Stop using water, silence the horn, check the pump's breaker and reset it once, and don't open the tank. Then call us. See our grinder pump alarm repair page.

Emergency Plumber Lago Vista TX | Real Texas Plumbing

Licensed & insured · Texas Responsible Master Plumber RMP44420 · TDLR AC Contractor TACLA22663C · Family-owned since 2018 · 2024 and 2026 Nextdoor Fave

Plumbing emergency in Lago Vista? Do this first

Stop the water, make the area safe, then call us at (512) 662-2949. That's the order that limits the damage.

Water spraying or flooding? Shut off the main water valve.
Sewage backing up, or a grinder pump alarm going off? Stop using all water, including toilets, showers and laundry.
Smell gas? Get everyone outside, don't touch switches or light anything, and call 911 or your gas utility from outside. Don't call a plumber first.

Real Texas Plumbing is a family-owned plumbing, heating and air company with shops in Lago Vista and Lakeway. We fix burst pipes, leaking water heaters, sewage backups, grinder pump failures and other urgent plumbing problems for homes in Lago Vista, Jonestown, The Hollows, Point Venture and around Lake Travis.

Here's how we work, plainly. Urgent calls get priority, and we do everything we can to get to you the same day. Call early. Our phones are answered Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon. We don't dispatch overnight, so if something happens after hours, the steps below will keep the damage down until we open. You'll get a written price before any work starts.

What to do right now, by type of emergency

Burst pipe or a major leak

Shut off the main water valve. It's usually where the water line enters the house, in the garage, at an exterior wall, or in a box near the foundation. Turn a ball valve a quarter turn, or turn a round handle clockwise until it stops.
Open a faucet or two to drain what's left in the pipes and take the pressure off the break.
Turn off the water heater if the leak is big. For electric, switch off the breaker. For gas, turn the gas valve to off or pilot.
Cut power to the wet area if water is near outlets, appliances or the panel, and stay out of standing water.
Photograph the damage and the meter for your records and for insurance, then soak up what you can.
Call us at (512) 662-2949. Our broken pipe repair page explains what we do next.

Not sure where your main valve is? Find out today, not during a flood.

Sewage backing up into a tub, shower or floor drain

Stop all water use. No flushing, showers, laundry or dishwasher.
Keep kids and pets out of the area. Sewage is a health hazard.
Don't pour drain cleaner, bleach or other chemicals down the drain.
Wear gloves and boots if you must touch anything, and call a restoration company for soaked flooring and drywall.
Call us. If your home has a grinder pump, check the alarm panel first. See the next item.

For slower clogs, see drain cleaning.

Grinder pump alarm

Stop using water. Every flush adds to a tank that isn't emptying.
Silence the horn, but know that this doesn't fix anything.
Check the pump's breaker and reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off.
Don't open the tank. It holds sewer gas and live wiring.
Call us. Tell us what the panel is doing.

The full steps are on our grinder pump alarm repair page. We also have a guide to what a grinder pump is and how it works.

Leaking or burst water heater

Turn off the power. Switch off the breaker for an electric heater, or turn the gas valve to off or pilot for gas.
Shut off the cold water supply to the tank. The valve is on the pipe entering the top.
Don't touch hot water or the tank if water is spraying.
Call us. See water heater repair and water heater installation.

No water at all

Check that the main valve is fully open.
Ask a neighbor whether they have water. If they don't, call your water utility.
Check for a leak or a frozen pipe if the weather has been freezing.
Call us if the main valve is open, the neighbors have water, and you still have none.

Overflowing toilet

Reach behind the toilet and turn the small shutoff valve clockwise.
Lift the tank lid and push the flapper down if the water won't stop.
Don't flush again. Plunge gently once the water has stopped.
Call us if it keeps happening or other drains are slow. See toilet repair.

Smell of gas

This one isn't a plumber-first call. Leave the house, don't touch switches or flames, and call 911 or your gas utility from outside. Once the gas has been shut off and it's safe, call us for repairs. See gas line services.

Is it really an emergency?

Some problems can't wait, and some can safely sit until morning. Here's how we'd sort them.

Water spraying or flooding that you can't stop: Emergency. Water damage spreads fast.
Gas smell: Emergency. Call 911 or your gas utility. It's a safety risk.
Sewage backing up into the house: Emergency. It's a health hazard.
Grinder pump alarm with slow or gurgling drains, or water rising in a tub or floor drain: Emergency. The tank is full and has nowhere to go.
Grinder pump alarm only, and you can stop using water: Urgent. The tank has a limited reserve.
Leaking water heater tank: Urgent. The leak will keep getting worse.
Burst or frozen pipe: Urgent to emergency. It depends on how much water is moving.
No hot water: Can usually wait for the next opening. It's inconvenient, not dangerous.
Slow drain in one sink: Can usually wait. It's not an emergency unless more drains are affected.
Dripping faucet or running toilet: Can usually wait. It's wasteful, but not urgent. Shut off the fixture valve if you can.

Not sure which one you have? Call us and tell us what you're seeing. We'd rather help you sort it out than have you guess.

Our hours, and how urgent calls work

We'll be straight with you about this, because it matters when your house is wet.

Phones are answered: Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.
Urgent calls get priority. We do everything we can to get to you the same day, so call early.
We don't dispatch overnight. If you need a plumber at 2 a.m., we're not the right call, and we'd rather tell you now than leave you waiting.

What happens when you call

You call or text. We ask what's happening and give you safe steps to take until we arrive.
We sort out the urgency and give you a realistic arrival window.
We find the cause. You get what failed, your options, and a written price before any work starts.
We fix it and test it, then walk you through what we did.

If it happens after we close

Stop the water or the source, using the steps above.
Protect your home. Move valuables, soak up standing water, and take photos for insurance.
For sewage that's already backing up and can't wait, a septic pumping company with a vacuum truck can empty a grinder pump tank to buy you time. It doesn't fix the pump, so call us afterward.
For soaked flooring or drywall, a restoration company can help with drying and cleanup.
For a gas smell, call 911 or your gas utility.
Call us when we open, or send a request and we'll respond when we do.

Emergency plumbing problems we fix

We work on homes. These are the urgent calls we handle most:

Burst, broken or leaking pipes: see broken pipe repair and leak detection
Grinder pump alarms and failures: see grinder pump alarm repair and grinder pump repair and replacement
Sewage and drain backups: see drain cleaning and sewage ejector pumps
Leaking or failed water heaters: see water heater repair, water heater installation and tankless installation
Overflowing or broken toilets: see toilet repair
Leaking faucets and disposals: see faucet repair and garbage disposal repair
Gas line problems, once the gas is off and it's safe: see gas line services
Pipes that keep failing: see repiping

Something we see a lot around Lake Travis: grinder pump emergencies

Many homes in Lago Vista, Jonestown, Point Venture and The Hollows rely on a grinder pump to move wastewater uphill to the sewer main. When it stops, the wastewater has nowhere to go but back toward the house. As one customer put it in a review, not every plumber knows grinder pumps. It's a specialty of ours. We handle the pump, floats, check valve, discharge line and alarm panel.

What emergency plumbing costs in Lago Vista

Every visit starts with a $65 trip charge, and we credit it toward the work when you go ahead. After we find the cause, you get a written price before we touch anything. Here are our starting prices for common urgent repairs:

Plumbing leak repair: starts at $389
Pipe repair: starts at $700
Frozen or burst pipe repair: starts at $800
Grinder pump alarm repair: starts at $750
Water line repair or replacement: starts at $2,800
Tank water heater, installed: $2,200 to $4,400
Grinder pump replacement, installed: $6,000 to $12,000

The final price depends on what failed, where it is, how hard it is to reach, and the parts involved. A leak at a fixture is a very different job than one inside a wall. We'll show you what we found and what each option costs, and nothing starts until you say yes.

What neighbors say about our urgent calls

We rate 4.9 on Google, and these are real reviews from homeowners who called us when something went wrong.

"My grinder pump quit working this morning. I called Efrain and less than three hours later he had replaced the broken line and fittings inside the tank." Rich G.

"They were here first thing in the morning on a Sunday replacing it. They beat our first estimate by around $1500." lisalorin

"They went above and beyond to get our grinder pump running again on a holiday weekend." Mary X.

"We were out of town when we were notified that our septic alarm was going off. Real Texas Plumbing came out right away... They sent photos and explained what they had done." Margaret W.

Read all of our reviews.

Where we work

Our shops are in Lago Vista (20811 Dawn Dr, Unit 706) and Lakeway (2802 Flintrock Trace), so most calls in the lake area are close to home for us. We serve homes in Lago Vista, Jonestown, The Hollows, Highland Lake Estates, Northshore on Lake Travis, Point Venture, Lakeway, Bee Cave, Horseshoe Bay, Marble Falls, Cedar Park, Leander, Crystal Falls Parkway, Anderson Mill, Round Rock and Austin.

Call (512) 662-2949, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., or Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon. You can also send us a request. Learn more about our family-owned shop.

When a plumbing emergency hits, we move fast, diagnose the problem clearly, and make lasting repairs that protect your home or business.

Fast Triage and Dispatch

The moment you call, we ask the right questions to identify the emergency, like a burst pipe, sewer backup, slab leak, or no-water issue. We give immediate safety steps, prioritize urgent risks, and dispatch a licensed plumber as quickly as possible with the tools needed for the job.

On-Site Diagnosis and Repair Plan

Once on site, we isolate the problem, stop active water damage, and inspect the plumbing system to find the real source, not just the symptom. We explain the issue in plain language, provide an honest estimate, and recommend the safest, most cost-effective repair before work begins.

Repair, Testing, and Clean Finish

We complete the emergency plumbing repair using proven methods and quality parts, then pressure-test, drain-test, or leak-check the system to confirm everything is working right. Before we leave, we clean the work area, review what was repaired, and make sure you feel confident about the fix.

Emergency Plumbing in Lago Vista, TX