Cities We Serve
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When It Cannot Wait
What Counts as a Plumbing Emergency in San Antonio
The emergencies here have a local shape. A hot water line under a 1970s slab near Loop 410 lets go and the clay under the house turns to soup. A garage water heater that has been collecting aquifer scale for twelve years finally splits its tank and drains forty gallons across the concrete. A sewer line under a live oak backs up into the hall bath the night before family arrives. A hard rain saturates the ground and a cracked clay drain line fills from the outside.
And then there is the freeze. February 2021 taught San Antonio that attic supply lines, hose bibs and outdoor tankless units are not built for days below twenty degrees. The burst pipes came in waves, first when the ice let go and again weeks later behind drywall that had quietly been soaking.
Our San Antonio plumbers handle all of it around the clock, under the same upfront pricing you would get on a weekday morning. The first job is stopping the water. The second is finding out why it happened so it does not happen again. For a full walkthrough of how emergency calls work, see emergency plumbers.
- Available around the clock Any hour, any day, including holidays. Tell us what is happening and we will tell you what to shut off while you wait.
- Same price at midnight Upfront pricing with no surprise fees, even on weekends and holidays. You approve the quote before the work starts.
- The Home Comfort Guarantee Quotes honored for 72 hours, licensed and bonded plumbers, and a no-backup guarantee on drain and sewer clearing.
Call Now, Not Monday
Signs This Is an Emergency, Not a Maintenance Item
If you see one of these, shut the water off first and call second. The list is in rough order of how fast the damage grows.
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Water you cannot stop at the fixture
A split supply line, a burst pipe in the wall or attic, or a failed water heater tank. Shut off the main and call.
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Sewage coming up in the tub or shower
The main sewer line is blocked, often by roots or collapsed clay pipe. Stop running water anywhere in the house; every flush comes back.
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A hot floor and a hissing sound
A pressurized leak under the slab. It will not fix itself, and wet clay under a foundation is how cracks in the drywall start.
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A ceiling that is sagging or dripping
An attic water heater pan overflowing or a supply line that split during a freeze. Move what is under it and shut the water off.
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No water at all, with no notice from SAWS
A broken main line between the meter and the house, common where clay soil shifts. Check the meter box for standing water.
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A gas smell near the water heater
Leave the house and call CPS Energy first. Once the gas is off, we repair or replace the line, valve or heater.
What We Handle After Hours
Emergency Plumbing Repairs Across the San Antonio Area
The same licensed plumbers, the same trucks, whatever the clock says.
- Burst and frozen pipes Attic lines, exterior walls, hose bibs and the main from the meter. Stopped, repaired and pressure-tested before we leave.
- Slab leaks We isolate the leak, get the water off that line, and give you the repair-versus-reroute numbers in writing.
- Water heater failures Split tanks, failed relief valves and gas control problems in garages, closets and attics.
- Sewer backups and main-line clogs Cabled or jetted clear, then a camera to show you why, with the no-backup guarantee behind the work.
- Overflowing toilets and fixture failures Cracked tanks, failed supply lines and the one bathroom that has to work tonight.
- Gas line leaks and repairs Once the utility has made it safe, we locate the leak, repair the piping and test it before the gas comes back on.
The First Hour
What Happens When You Call at Night
Four steps, in this order, every time.
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We answer and talk you through the shutoff
Where the main valve is, which breaker or gas valve to close, and what to move out of the way. Then we dispatch.
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A licensed plumber arrives and stops the water
Containment first. The repair discussion happens once nothing is actively getting worse.
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You see the price and choose
A written quote, honored for 72 hours, at the same rate as a weekday. If a temporary fix gets you safely to daylight for less, we will offer it.
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We repair, test and explain the cause
A burst pipe usually has a reason. We will tell you what it was and what would keep it from happening again.
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Water Where It Should Not Be?
Shut off the main, then call. A San Antonio plumber is available right now.
What Our Customers Say
Don't just take our word for it — hear from our satisfied customers
★★★★★
I had Radiant Plumbing replace my tankless water heater, damaged in the Feb. 2021 snowmageddon storm with a new unit. The process was smooth and professional from start to finish. The plumber, James, was extremely knowledgeable and thoroughly explained my options to me. The cost and time to perform the installation were just as estimated. When he was done, James explained how to maintain the system, what service would be needed and how to perform it, and answered all of my engineering geek questions. It was a thoroughly positive experience. I have used several different plumbers in Austin over the past 15 yrs, but my search is over - I will not hesitate to call Radiant next time and would recommend them unreservedly.
8/9/23 Update: I have subsequently used Radiant for a toilet repair, faucet installation (Danny), and drain work (Ezekiel) and they have continued to impress with knowledgeable, friendly plumbers and quality work.
8/9/23 Update: I have subsequently used Radiant for a toilet repair, faucet installation (Danny), and drain work (Ezekiel) and they have continued to impress with knowledgeable, friendly plumbers and quality work.
★★★★★
We called Radiant Plumbing after we noticed a water leak in our kitchen. We were in a time crunch and they were able to schedule us quickly, before we left for vacation. They sent their representative, Preston Nichols, and he was excellent to deal with! He was on time, skillful, friendly, and very professional. It turned out to be a problem with our dishwasher but Preston was quick to diagnose it and set our minds at ease. While he was here, we mentioned that our one year-old water heater needed to be flushed. Preston was quick to take care of that, as well, saving us time and money in the process. Radiant charged us almost half the price another plumber quoted us for that service! While Radiant Plumbing isn’t our usual plumber, they gained a new customer. We won’t hesitate to call Radiant again in the future based on our VERY positive experience with them.
★★★★★
Had 3 different systems installed by them approx. 3 years ago for a total of approx $20k. I was quite happy with the install until the year later when they came for a maintenance call and started finding deficiencies in their own install. they wanted extra money to address those deficiencies. Now I am in the process of selling my home and an inspector has found a few items that need to be addressed and they will not even look at the report unless I schedule a $139.00 service call. Very poor customer service.. This company does not stand by their work and would not recommend.
I am revising my review of this business from 1 to 5 stars. After my original review I was contacted by the company's service manager and he made sure that I was taken care off. I had a team of 3 technicians coming to my house to double check the system and make the necessary adjustments. I was very satisfied by their attention to details and professionalism.
I am revising my review of this business from 1 to 5 stars. After my original review I was contacted by the company's service manager and he made sure that I was taken care off. I had a team of 3 technicians coming to my house to double check the system and make the necessary adjustments. I was very satisfied by their attention to details and professionalism.
Maintenance Membership
Join the Care Club
Home maintenance for $9.99 a month.
Care Club members get two HVAC tune-ups and a plumbing safety inspection every year, priority scheduling, no dispatch fees — ever — and 5% off every repair.
- Priority scheduling
- Seasonal HVAC tune-ups
- Annual safety inspection
- Exclusive member discounts
- Free dispatch on repairs
- No long-term contracts
San Antonio Emergency Plumbing Questions
Where is the water shutoff on a typical San Antonio house?
Most San Antonio homes have two. The first is a valve at the house, usually where the main line comes in: on the exterior wall near the hose bib closest to the street, in the garage, or in a box in the front flower bed. The second is at the SAWS meter box near the curb, under a rectangular lid. That valve often needs a meter key or a long wrench, and it can be stiff if no one has turned it in years. Find the house valve now, while nothing is leaking, and make sure it actually turns. If it does not, that is worth a repair on its own; a shutoff that will not close turns a small leak into a flooded house.
Does an emergency plumber cost more on a holiday weekend in San Antonio?
Not with Radiant. Our pricing is upfront and the same at noon on a Wednesday as it is during the Fourth of July weekend. There are no surprise fees for nights, weekends or holidays, and you approve a written quote before any work begins. Care Club members also pay no dispatch fee and get 24/7 emergency service at standard rates with no after-hours trip fee. The price of the repair depends on what failed, not on when it failed.
Our pipes froze in the 2021 storm. How do we keep it from happening again?
Start with what broke last time, because it is usually the same weak points across the city. Attic supply lines that run above the insulation, hose bibs without frost-free valves, exposed lines to a pool or an outdoor kitchen, and outdoor tankless heaters that lose freeze protection when the power goes out. The fixes are practical: insulate or reroute exposed runs, install freeze-resistant hose bibs, know where the main shutoff is and be ready to drain the lines if a multi-day freeze is forecast. Our frozen pipe repair page covers what to do if a line has already frozen.
Is a slab leak an emergency, or can it wait until a weekday?
It depends on whether you can isolate it. If the leak is on the hot side, you can often close the valve on top of the water heater and stop the loss while keeping cold water to the house, which buys you a day or two. If the leak is on the cold side or you cannot tell, the only way to stop it is the main shutoff, and a house with no water is an emergency. Either way, water pooling under a slab on San Antonio clay is doing damage to the foundation while it waits. Call, tell us what you have found, and we will help you decide.
Sewage is backing up into the bathtub. What should I do before you arrive?
Stop using water everywhere in the house. Every flush, load of laundry or shower is going to come back up through the lowest drain, which is usually a tub or a floor drain. Do not pour chemical drain cleaner in; it will not clear a main-line blockage and it makes the cleanup hazardous for whoever opens the line. If you have a cleanout in the yard, a capped pipe sticking up near the house, leave it alone unless water is already spilling from it. When we arrive we clear the line, then run a camera to show you what caused it. If it is roots or a broken section of pipe, you will see it on the screen before we quote anything.
*Offers cannot be combined with other promotions or applied to dispatch fees. No cash value. Must present offer at time of service. Call for details.
