Silverback Plumbing and Drain runs a 24-hour emergency line across San Antonio, Helotes, Boerne, Bulverde, Schertz, Stone Oak and Somerset. A licensed plumber is dispatched when you call, not queued for the next business day. Before we get there, the single most useful thing you can do is shut off the water — the steps are right below.
Do this before you call
- Shut off the main water valve. It is usually at the front of the house near the hose bib, or in a box at the curb. Turn it clockwise until it stops.
- If the leak is at a single fixture, the angle stop under that sink or toilet may be enough.
- Water near outlets, a panel or a ceiling light: turn that circuit off at the breaker before you go near it.
- If you smell gas, leave the building first, then call CPS Energy at (210) 353-4357 or 911 from outside.
Then call us. Knowing the water is already off changes what we bring and how fast the job goes.
What we treat as an emergency
Not everything needs a midnight call, and we would rather tell you that on the phone than bill you for it. These are the situations where waiting reliably costs more than calling does.
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A pipe has burst
A half-inch supply line can put hundreds of gallons into a house in under an hour. Ceilings, subfloor and drywall all absorb it before anyone sees it.
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Sewage is coming up
Wastewater backing up through a floor drain, tub or toilet means the main line is blocked. Everything it touches has to be treated as contaminated.
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You can smell gas
Leave first, call the utility from outside, then call us. There is no amount of gas odour that is safe to sit with.
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There is no water at all
Especially in a freeze. A line that has already split will announce itself the moment pressure returns.
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A leak is spreading behind a wall
Warm spots on a slab, a stain that grows, or the sound of water running with every tap closed.
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The water heater is leaking
A tank that has given way empties forty to eighty gallons onto the floor and keeps refilling until the supply is shut.
What can honestly wait until morning
Calling at 11 p.m. for something that could have been an 8 a.m. appointment costs you more and gets you the same repair. If it fits here, book the next available slot and sleep.
- A single slow or clogged drain, with every other fixture draining normally.
- A dripping faucet or a toilet that runs intermittently, once the supply to it is shut off.
- A water heater with no hot water but no leak, no gas smell and no burning smell.
- A garbage disposal that hums, jams or has quit, provided nothing is leaking under the sink.
The dividing line is simple: is water or gas escaping right now, and is anything being damaged while you wait? If the answer to both is no, it is a scheduling question rather than an emergency.
What happens after you call
- You talk to someone who can tell you what to shut off, not an answering service taking a message.
- We give you an arrival window and dispatch the nearest licensed plumber.
- We find the actual source rather than the nearest symptom, and show you what we found.
- You get the price before any work begins. If there is a cheaper option that holds until morning, we will say so.
What an emergency call costs
After-hours work carries a call-out that daytime work does not, and we tell you that number on the phone rather than at the door. Beyond that, the price is driven by what is actually wrong:
- The hour you callNights, weekends and holidays carry the call-out. A problem that can safely hold until morning costs less as a scheduled visit, and we will tell you when that applies.
- What has to be openedA leak at an accessible fitting is a different job from one behind tile or under a slab. Access is usually the largest single variable.
- Repair versus replacementA failed section of pipe may be repairable; a water heater that has split has to be replaced. We price both where both are real options.
- Whether the cause is upstreamClearing a backup is not the same as fixing the line causing it. We will price the clear and the permanent fix separately so you can choose.
No work starts until you have agreed the number.
Why the calls cluster the way they do here
Two local conditions drive most of what we see after hours. Water across the region tests between 15 and 20 grains per gallon, which is hard enough to shorten the life of every water heater, fill valve and cartridge in the house — so failures come sooner than the manuals suggest. And most homes built here since the 1970s sit on a slab with supply lines running underneath, where clay soil that swells in a wet spring and shrinks in an August drought works on those joints year after year.
The other spike is the freeze. San Antonio does not get enough of them to build the habits that colder cities have, so when a hard freeze arrives it finds uninsulated hose bibs and attic runs, and the damage shows up the morning everything thaws.
When it turns out to be something else
An emergency call often ends with a diagnosis that belongs to another job. Sewage backing up through more than one fixture usually means the main line, which is sewer line repair. A tank that has failed outright becomes water heater replacement. A meter that keeps turning with the house shut off points outside, to yard leak detection. We stabilise it tonight either way, and quote the permanent fix separately.
Work is carried out by licensed plumbers under our Responsible Master Plumber, license RMP-43333, issued by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. You can verify that license yourself.
What San Antonio homeowners say
Reviews pulled live from our Google Business Profile, not retyped here.
Questions homeowners ask us
Do you actually answer the phone at night?
Yes. The line is answered 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays, by someone who can tell you what to shut off while a plumber is dispatched.
How fast can someone get to me?
We give you an arrival window when you call rather than a vague promise. It depends on where you are and what is already in progress, but emergency calls are dispatched ahead of scheduled work, and our Helotes base puts us close to the north and west sides.
What should I shut off before you arrive?
The main water valve, which is usually near the front of the house by the hose bib or in a box at the curb. If the leak is at one fixture, the angle stop under it may be enough. Turn off the breaker to any circuit near standing water.
Is a slow drain an emergency?
Not on its own. A single slow drain with everything else running normally is a scheduled repair. Several fixtures backing up at once, or wastewater appearing where it should not, is the main line and that is urgent.
Does an after-hours call cost more?
There is a call-out for nights, weekends and holidays, and we tell you that figure on the phone before we come out. The repair itself is priced the same way it would be in daylight, and you agree the number before work starts.
What do I do if I smell gas?
Leave the building without touching light switches and without using your phone indoors. From outside, call CPS Energy’s emergency line at (210) 353-4357, or 911 if the smell is strong or anyone feels unwell. Call us once it is confirmed safe.
Will you tell me if it can wait?
Yes, and we do it regularly. If the problem will hold safely until morning, booking it as a scheduled visit costs you less and gets you the same repair.
Do you cover the surrounding towns or just San Antonio?
We cover San Antonio and the surrounding area, including Helotes, Boerne, Bulverde, Schertz, Stone Oak and Somerset.
Water going where it should not?
Shut off the main, then call. The line is answered now, and every hour a leak runs is damage you pay to dry out later.
Silverback Plumbing & Drain provides licensed plumbing and drain service for homes and businesses throughout the San Antonio area. From emergency repairs to routine maintenance, we diagnose the problem, explain the fix, and get it done right the first time.
Contact Info
Open Hours
- Open 24/7
Emergency service available nights, weekends, and holidays.
Copyright © 2026 Silverback Plumbing and Drain
Mark Vargas, Responsible Master Plumber #43333 Licensed through the Texas Board of Plumbing Examiners P.O. Box 4200, Austin, Texas 78765 (800-845-6584)