Burst pipe, slab leak, sewage backup, or no hot water — we respond fast across all of Tempe. Old homes near ASU, rental properties, commercial buildings — we know Tempe's plumbing and we show up.
Locate your main water shut-off valve and turn it off. In most Tempe homes it's at the street in a covered curb box, or near the water heater in a utility closet or garage. Stopping the water is the single most important step before we arrive — every minute matters.
Tempe's housing stock runs the full spectrum — 1950s single-family homes with aging galvanized and cast iron, dense student rental properties with hard-used fixtures, and commercial strips where drain failures hit during business hours. These are the emergencies we field most often in Tempe, and what to do first.
Tempe's mix of old homes, dense rentals, and aging commercial buildings creates a specific set of plumbing emergencies. Here's what's most common by area — and what you need to know.
Tempe's rental market is one of the densest in the Phoenix Valley. The student and young professional population near ASU means a huge percentage of Tempe's housing stock is tenant-occupied — and tenant plumbing emergencies don't wait for business hours. A burst supply line at 7pm, a sewage backup on a Saturday morning, a water heater that quits mid-week — these can't sit until Monday.
We work directly with property managers and landlords. Tell us you're managing a rental property, describe the situation, and we'll give you a straight answer on response time. We can coordinate with the tenant on-site, communicate clearly with you throughout, and provide documentation of the repair for your records. Call us now: (480) 675-7861.
The neighborhoods immediately surrounding ASU — and much of central and downtown Tempe — were developed in the post-war decades. Homes from this era often still have their original plumbing: galvanized steel supply lines (which corrode from the inside out and restrict flow until they fail), copper under-slab runs past their 50-year life expectancy, and cast iron drain lines that have collected 60-plus years of scale and debris.
When these pipes fail, they fail suddenly and completely. A galvanized line that was running fine last month can crack or split without warning. If you live in or own a home in the central Tempe core — anywhere near Mill Ave, downtown, or the established ASU-adjacent neighborhoods — and you're seeing reduced water pressure, rust-colored water, or unexplained wet spots, call us before it becomes a crisis: (480) 675-7861.
Sewage backups in older Tempe homes and rental properties are a different problem than in newer construction. Cast iron drain lines — common in pre-1980 Tempe homes — accumulate scale, grease, and debris on their interior walls over decades. The effective diameter shrinks over time until a single event (cooking grease, paper products, roots at the cleanout) causes a complete blockage. When that blockage fails, it fails big: sewage comes up through the lowest drain in the structure — usually a floor drain, a shower, or a tub.
If sewage is backing up at any drain in your home, stop all water use immediately. Do not flush, run a faucet, or use any appliance connected to a drain. Call us: (480) 675-7861. We can hydro-jet the main line and get your drains clear same-day.
Restaurants and food-service businesses along Mill Ave and Tempe's older commercial corridors face specific emergency drain situations: main line backups caused by grease accumulation, floor drain failures during peak service hours, and grease trap overflows that create immediate health code and liability concerns. These are time-critical — a restaurant that can't operate its kitchen is losing revenue by the minute.
We respond to commercial drain emergencies across Tempe. We carry hydro-jetting equipment and can handle high-capacity commercial drain lines. If your restaurant, commercial kitchen, or retail location is dealing with a drain emergency, call immediately: (480) 675-7861.
We serve every Tempe neighborhood and ZIP code. From the ASU-adjacent core to South Tempe, Warner Ranch to the Kyrene corridor — if you're in Tempe, we come to you. That includes rental properties, owner-occupied homes, and commercial locations.
Response time depends on our current call volume and what's on the schedule. We'll give you an honest estimate when you call — not a four-hour window. For active water emergencies, we prioritize accordingly. Property managers: let us know upfront so we can coordinate appropriately.
If there's an after-hours or weekend rate, you'll know before we come out. We don't inflate emergency pricing after you've already said yes. Honest pricing is not a marketing claim — it's how we work with property managers and homeowners who need to call us again next time.
Tempe ZIP codes we serve:
Neighborhoods include: Downtown Tempe / Mill Ave area, South Tempe, North Tempe, Tempe Diablo, Warner Ranch, Kyrene corridor, and all surrounding communities.
For scheduled (non-emergency) plumbing service in Tempe, see our Tempe plumber page.
Emergency plumbing costs vary based on what's wrong, when you're calling, and what the repair actually requires. We don't publish flat emergency rates because a burst pipe in a rental property on a Sunday is a different situation than a water heater replacement on a weekday morning.
What we commit to: you'll know the price before a wrench touches anything. We diagnose, quote, get your approval, then work. Property managers get that same upfront clarity so they can approve work without surprises on the invoice.
See our detailed breakdown of emergency plumbing costs, after-hours rates, and what drives the price of common emergency repairs across the Phoenix Valley.
We respond to emergency calls throughout Tempe — homeowners, tenants, property managers, and commercial operators. Below is a partial list of the neighborhoods and areas we cover.
For scheduled (non-emergency) plumbing in Tempe, visit our Tempe plumber page for a full service overview.
We answer the phone. Tell us what's happening — homeowner, tenant, or property manager — and we'll give you an honest response time and talk you through what to do while we're on our way.
(480) 675-7861All Tempe ZIP codes. Residential and commercial. Same-day response for active water emergencies.
Direct answers to what property managers and Tempe homeowners ask us most when they're dealing with a plumbing crisis.
Yes — and property managers are one of the groups we work with most in Tempe. The city's dense rental market means emergency calls at tenant-occupied properties happen around the clock, and a slow response creates both habitability issues and real liability for you as the owner or manager.
When you call, let us know upfront that it's a rental property. We'll coordinate with whoever is on-site — whether that's the tenant directly or a maintenance contact you provide — communicate clearly with you throughout, and give you complete documentation of the repair. We're used to working within the property manager relationship: approval before work starts, clear invoicing, photos if needed.
Call us anytime: (480) 675-7861. Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you how fast we can get there.
Yes, treat it as one. Homes in the ASU-area neighborhoods — those built from the 1950s through the 1970s — often have original copper supply lines running under the concrete slab. Copper at that age is past its expected service life in any climate, and Tempe's hard water accelerates internal corrosion. A leak under the slab that goes undetected for weeks can cause foundation damage, mold growth inside the slab, and wholesale flooring destruction.
The signs to watch for: a warm or wet spot on your floor, the sound of water running when every fixture is off, your water bill spiking with no explanation, or noticeably lower water pressure at your fixtures. If any of these sound familiar, shut off your main water supply now and call us at (480) 675-7861.
We use non-invasive slab leak detection — acoustic listening equipment and thermal methods — before any concrete is touched. We pinpoint the leak location, show you what we found, and quote the repair before we do anything.
Central Tempe — Mill Ave, downtown, the ASU-adjacent neighborhoods, and anything in the 85281 and 85287 ZIP codes — is fully within our service area and we're out there regularly. Response time depends on our current call load; we'll give you an honest estimate when you call rather than a generic window.
For an active emergency in that area — water moving through the structure, sewage backing up, a pipe that's let go — shut off your main water supply immediately if you're able to reach it safely, then call us at (480) 675-7861. We can walk you through additional steps over the phone while we're heading your way. Commercial locations on or near Mill Ave: same number, and mention it's a commercial property — we'll prioritize accordingly.
Tell them to shut off the water immediately. Here's exactly what to say:
1. Shut off the water. If the problem is at one fixture — toilet, sink, water heater — there's usually a shut-off valve right at that fixture, either behind the toilet or under the sink. Turn it clockwise until it stops. If they can't find it or it doesn't work, go to the main shut-off. In Tempe homes it's typically at the street in a covered curb box, or near the water heater.
2. For sewage backups: stop all drains. Don't flush, run a faucet, run the dishwasher, or do laundry. Every drain in the building is connected. Using any of them will push more sewage up through the blocked line.
3. Move valuables and electronics off the floor. Don't wait to see how far the water spreads — move things now.
4. Take photos. Document everything before cleaning up. This protects you and the tenant for insurance and any damage claims.
5. Call us directly. (480) 675-7861 — we can also speak with the tenant directly if that's easier for coordination.
Additional information that may be useful if you're dealing with a plumbing emergency in Tempe.
Call now. We answer, we move fast, and we tell you the price before we start.
(480) 675-7861