Emergency plumber in Tennessee
Tennessee plumbing spans Memphis and Nashville's older neighborhoods and booming suburbs, Knoxville and Chattanooga's hills, karst limestone, ice storms and heavy rain.
Coverage in Tennessee
Covered ZIP codes
464
Cities and towns
348
Most-covered
Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville
What to do before the plumber arrives
- Close the main water shutoff, or the fixture's own valve if the leak is at one fixture.
- Keep away from water near outlets or panels; switch off power at the breaker only if you can reach it from a dry floor.
- If sewage is backing up, stop using every sink, toilet and appliance.
- Smell gas? Leave the building first, then call 911 and your gas utility from outside.
Step by step: what to do when a pipe bursts and finding your main water shutoff.
When plumbing emergencies happen in Tennessee
Tennessee summers run hot and sticky, and winters bring periodic ice storms and hard freezes, more so in the east and on the Cumberland Plateau. Heavy rain is common and can flood rivers and creeks.
- Winter
- Hard freezes and ice storms split pipes in crawl spaces and exterior walls, especially in homes built for mild winters.
- Heavy rain
- Flash floods overwhelm drainage, back up sewers and saturate septic drain fields.
Emergency risks specific to Tennessee
Crawl-space freeze
When: Hard freezes. What fails: Supply lines in vented crawl spaces split. What to do: Close vents and insulate exposed pipes before a hard freeze.
Septic trouble on karst
When: Heavy rain on limestone terrain. What fails: Thin soils and sinkholes affect septic drainage. What to do: Have septic systems inspected and avoid parking over drain fields.
Memphis and Nashville have older neighborhoods with cast-iron and clay drains alongside large suburban growth on crawl spaces and slabs. East Tennessee homes often sit on hillsides with crawl spaces, and rural areas rely on wells or utility districts and septic.
How an emergency call works
SteadWell is a free referral service, not a plumbing company. Calls to (833) 753-0180 are routed to independent, licensed plumbers who serve the caller's ZIP code; our coverage list includes 464 ZIP codes in Tennessee. If no participating plumber serves your ZIP, you're told so. The plumber sets the price and arrival time; no arrival time is guaranteed.
Tennessee's Board for Licensing Contractors issues contractor licenses with plumbing classifications, and a Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) license for smaller jobs in areas that use state inspections. Many cities and counties also license plumbers and issue their own permits.
Emergency plumbing in Tennessee: questions
What is a Limited Licensed Plumber in Tennessee?
An LLP is a state license for smaller plumbing jobs in jurisdictions that use state inspections. Larger jobs require a contractor license, and many cities license plumbers locally.
How do I protect my crawl-space pipes in Tennessee?
Close foundation vents in winter, insulate exposed pipes and keep heat on during hard freezes.
How do I check an emergency plumber's license in Tennessee?
Tennessee's Board for Licensing Contractors issues contractor licenses with plumbing classifications, and a Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP) license for smaller jobs in areas that use state inspections. Many cities and counties also license plumbers and issue their own permits.
What does an emergency plumber cost?
National cost guides put emergency labor around $125 an hour on average, with trip fees commonly $100 to $350 and night, weekend or holiday rates 1.5 to 3 times normal. Ask for the price before work starts.