BEFORE YOU CALL

Find the main water shutoff, and the valves under sinks and behind toilets, before you have a leak. If water is going where it shouldn't, shut it off first. That one step saves floors.

Usually a flapper or a chain. Lift the tank lid. If water keeps running into the overflow, the flapper isn't sealing. A cheap flapper beats a service call. If you can't get it to stop, call.

Hair and gunk on the stopper. Pull it, clean it, use a sink plunger. Skip the gallon of drain cleaner. It rarely fixes it and it makes the next visit worse.

Check the breaker. If it's gas, check the pilot. If the tank is leaking from the bottom, don't DIY that. That's a replacement. Call (480) 793-0647.

East Valley hard water packs the aerator. Unscrew the tip of the faucet, soak it in vinegar, put it back. If it's dripping from the handle, that's a cartridge. We can do that if it isn't a five-minute job.

Reset button on the bottom. Hex key in the center underneath if it's jammed. If it smells like it's burning or it trips the breaker, stop and call.

Water through the ceiling or up from the slab. Sewer backing up. Gas smell. Water heater leaking from the tank. You already tried the simple fix and it's still going. Serving the East Valley. (480) 793-0647.