Not every dripping tap is an emergency — but a few situations genuinely cannot wait. After 16 years of after-hours callouts across Sandton, Midrand and the rest of Northern Johannesburg, here's how we tell real emergencies apart from problems that can safely wait until our team is on site the next morning.
1. A burst geyser in the ceiling
A failed geyser drip tray combined with a burst element or cylinder can dump 150 litres of near-boiling water into your ceiling in under 20 minutes. If you hear a "rushing" sound from the roof, see ceiling staining or notice steam from the overflow pipe, shut the geyser isolator off at the DB board and close the cold water inlet immediately. Then call us — geyser bursts are an emergency.
2. A continuously running overflow
The little white pipe poking out of your eaves that occasionally drips? That's the geyser pressure-control valve doing its job. But if it's continuously running hot water, the safety valve has failed and the geyser pressure is not being controlled. Left overnight, this can damage the cylinder or flood the ceiling.
3. Sewage backing up into the house
If toilets bubble when you run the shower, or worse, raw sewage starts pushing up through a downstairs drain, do not run any more water in the property. This is a blocked main connection — every additional litre that goes down a basin makes it worse. Call out a drain specialist with a CCTV camera and mechanised drain machine.
4. Visible water meter spinning with everything off
Turn every tap and toilet off in the house. If the small "leak indicator" on your water meter is still spinning, you have an active concealed leak — under a slab, in the garden or in the wall. Joburg City Power and Johannesburg Water bill you for every litre, so a hidden leak can cost R5,000+ a month. This warrants a same-day leak detection call.
5. Smell of gas near a gas geyser
LPG gas leaks are an emergency for fire and safety reasons, not just plumbing. Shut off the bottle valve, ventilate the area and don't operate any electrical switches. Then phone for a registered installer to test the line and reseal the connections.
What you can leave until morning
Most "annoying but not dangerous" problems will keep until normal hours and save you the after-hours premium:
- A single dripping tap or mixer
- A toilet that runs after flushing (close the angle valve, use other toilets)
- A slow-draining basin or shower
- A kitchen sink leak you can catch with a bucket
- Low pressure on one fixture only
How we handle real emergencies
Apple Plumbing & Electrical operates Monday to Saturday with after-hours availability for genuine emergencies in our service area. When you call, you speak directly to Garth — not a call centre — and we carry the back-up parts on the van for a first-visit fix on most jobs.
If you're unsure whether your situation qualifies, just phone 082 886 9119. We'll talk you through what to switch off and tell you honestly whether you need us tonight or tomorrow.