Emergency service 24 hours a day · Campania
Flooded home or burst pipe: what to do right away
When water floods the floor it is normal to lose your head. The moves that matter are few and should be done in this order: stop the water, cut the power in the wet area, warn whoever lives below. Right after, the phone call for the urgent repair.
Water and electricity together are the main danger. Do not walk through water near sockets, power strips or appliances that are on; switch off the main safety switch only if you can reach the board staying dry, otherwise leave the room and call 112. Do not switch on light fittings with water dripping from them. If as well as water you smell gas, priorities change: no switches, no flames, air from the windows, gas tap at the meter closed only if it is safe to do so, and a call from outside the home to the distributor's emergency number on the bill (Italgas 800 900 999) or 112.
Recognise the problem
- A pipe or a hose has broken and water is coming out with force
- The floor is covered in water and you cannot tell where it comes from
- Water is dripping from the ceiling or a light fitting from the flat above
- The washing machine or dishwasher has flooded the kitchen
- Water is moving down towards the neighbour below
The most common causes
- 1
Hose or supply pipe
The pipes that bring water to taps, toilet cisterns and washing machines are the point that fails most often, because they stay under pressure day and night.
- 2
Pipe in the wall or under the floor
In this case water comes out of the plaster, the skirting board or between the tiles, and the spot where it surfaces may be far from the break.
- 3
Blocked or broken drain
If the water is dirty and comes from the shower tray or the toilet, the problem concerns the drains and not the clean water pipes.
- 4
Leak from the floor above
When water comes through the ceiling, the break is almost always not in your home but in the flat above or in a shared stack.
What you can safely check yourself
- Shut off the water: the small valve under the fixture or behind the washing machine if the fault is there, otherwise the main valve of the home or the valve of your meter. If to reach it you must walk through water near live sockets, cut the power first.
- Cut the power in the wet area: switch off the breaker of that circuit or the main safety switch. If the board is standing in water, do not touch it.
- Warn the neighbour below: ring or phone them, so they can check ceiling, light fittings and sockets and, if needed, cut their power too.
- With the power off, collect the water with rags and buckets and lift rugs, power strips and valuables off the floor.
- Photograph the fault and the damage before drying everything: the photos are needed by the insurer and the administrator.
Never open the boiler or the gas water heater, and always switch off the power before touching an electrical appliance. If in doubt, call us.
When you need a technician at home
- The leak does not stop even with the main valve closed
- To stop it you were left without water in the whole home
- The break is built into the wall or under the tiles
- The water is dirty and rises from the shower, bidet or toilet
- The valves that should stop the water are dripping themselves
How much it costs
Emergency call-out
The work is paid separately, with a quote before we start
€50
From 8 pm to 8 am, Sundays and public holidays
+€30
Where the main water valve is and how to close it
The main valve of the flat can be in different places: inside an inspection hatch in the bathroom wall, under the kitchen sink, next to the boiler. In older buildings it is sometimes outside, on the landing, in a box near the door.
To tell if it is closed, look at the lever: across the pipe it blocks the water, parallel to the pipe it lets it through. Round handles turn clockwise until they stop. If they will not move, leave pliers and hammers alone: you risk breaking the valve and making the leak worse.
If the home has no main valve, or it does not hold, there is the valve next to the meter, in the building's meter room or the courtyard. After closing it leave a note: the meters are side by side and someone could reopen it without knowing.
If water comes through the ceiling
With water arriving from above, the leak is almost always in the flat upstairs or in a building stack. Do not switch on the dripping light fitting and cut the circuit for that room.
Go up to the neighbour and ask them to shut off their water. If they are not at home, tell the administrator or the concierge; if there is a lot of water and the flat above is empty, call the fire brigade on 115 or 112.
Photograph stains and drips, with the date and time visible on the phone: they will be needed when it comes to deciding who pays the damage.
After the emergency: repair, damage and insurance
Once the water is off and the power made safe, phone for the urgent repair. If the final repair takes time, the technician isolates the broken section and gives you water again in the other rooms.
For the damage, the point of the break and the policies involved matter: report the damage at once to the administrator and to your insurer, if you are insured.
Let walls and floors dry thoroughly before repainting or putting furniture back against the walls. Moisture left under the tiles can take weeks to come out.
Want to know what it is first? Show us
Once you have done the first steps, call us at any hour, public holidays included: we tell you the urgent call-out fee before the technician sets off. The technician finds the broken section and repairs it, or isolates it to give you water in the rest of the home. If you cannot find the valve to close, we can also guide you on video while we are on the way.
Video consultation, up to 15 minutes: €9.90 (€14.90 on Sundays), deducted from the bill if we then come to your home.
Book the consultationFrequently asked questions
What do I do first if my home floods?
Stop the water by closing the nearest valve or the main valve. If to reach it you have to pass through water near sockets or appliances, cut the power first. Then warn the neighbour below and call for the repair.
A pipe has burst and I cannot find the main valve: what do I do?
Close your meter's valve, in the building's meter room or in the courtyard. If you cannot find that either, call us: on the phone or on video we help you look for it while we arrange the visit.
Should I warn the neighbour below even if I see no stains?
Yes. Water goes down into the floor slab and can appear at their place hours later, even near light fittings and sockets. Warning them straight away lets them cut the power and limit the damage.
Who pays for flood damage?
Shared parts of the building are the condominium's responsibility, the pipes of your flat are the owner's, often through the home policy. Photograph everything and tell the administrator and the insurer early.
Can I turn the water back on after drying?
Only if the fault has been repaired or isolated with a valve. Reopening the main valve with the pipe still broken puts the system back under pressure and the leak starts again.
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