Plumbing emergency: what do I do in the first 10 minutes?

This is the order that limits the damage. Whether it is an emergency tonight or can wait until morning is a separate question — the what-counts guide sorts that out — but these steps come first either way.

1. If you smell gas, stop here and leave. Get everyone out, don't switch anything on or off, and call 911 and Peoples Gas from outside. A plumber comes after the gas utility, not before.
2. Close the nearest valve. Toilets, sinks and the washer each have a small shutoff behind or under them; turn it clockwise. If the leak is in a wall, a ceiling or a pipe with no valve, go straight to the main.
3. Close the main shutoff. It is usually where the water line enters the house — a garage wall, an outside wall near the hose bib, or a box near the meter. Turn it fully closed, then open a faucet at the lowest point to drain the pressure.
4. Turn off the water heater if it is leaking or the main is closed — the breaker for an electric heater, the gas control to OFF or PILOT for a gas one. A heater left running with the water off can damage itself.
5. Keep clear of water near electrical outlets, cords or appliances. Ready.gov's rule is not to touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water, and to turn off the power only if it is safe to reach the breaker.
6. If sewage is coming up, stop using every fixture — no flushing, no sinks, no washer. Every gallon you send goes to the lowest drain in the house.
7. Photograph and video everything before you clean up — the source, the water, the damaged floors, walls and belongings. Florida's Department of Financial Services tells homeowners to take photos before and after emergency repairs and to keep every receipt.
8. Then call. Rosco Plumbing is at (941) 345-2464; tell us what failed, what you have shut off, and whether sewage or electricity is involved.

Don't force it with a wrench until something snaps — an old gate valve can break off inside and leave you with no way to close it at all. Try the fixture valves nearest the leak, catch what you can in buckets and towels, and call; a main that will not close is the emergency.

The best ten minutes are the ones spent before any of this happens: find the main, turn it closed and open again, and show everyone in the house where it is. The hurricane checklist starts there for the same reason.

Florida's DFS guidance is to make the emergency repairs needed to prevent further damage and to document them — which, for plumbing, means stopping the water, getting standing water up, moving belongings out of it, and opening windows or running fans to start drying. Keep the failed part (the burst hose, the cracked fitting) to show the plumber and the adjuster.

Sewage is different: it is contaminated water, and cleaning it up is a job for gloves and disinfectant at minimum. The EPA notes that surcharged public sewers can back up into buildings; if the whole street is affected, it may be the county's main, and Manatee County Utilities takes sewer-backup calls at 941-792-8811, ext. 5411.