The Quick Test: Three Urgent Signs
When you find a leak, three signs push it firmly into emergency territory.
First, any smell of gas or a sounding carbon-monoxide alarm. Second, water that is flowing rather than dripping — a steady stream, a burst line, or a fast-spreading pool. Third, water reaching electrical components, outlets, or your panel.
If any of these is present, act now: for gas or CO, leave the home and call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 or 911; for fast water or electrical contact, shut off the source and call us at 604-359-1081. When none of the three is present, you usually have a little more time, though the leak still needs fixing.
Always-Emergency Situations
Certain scenarios warrant an immediate response no matter how much water you see.
A gas smell or CO alarm is the clearest example — that is a life-safety event, not a plumbing one. A burst pipe or tank releasing water quickly is another, because the volume can flood a room in minutes. Water pouring near your electrical panel or live wiring is a shock and fire risk. And a complete loss of heat in freezing weather, especially when paired with a leak, raises the danger of frozen and bursting pipes elsewhere in the home.
In all of these, do not wait for business hours. Make the home safe, stop the source if you can do so safely, and call for help.
Urgent but Not Always After-Hours
Some leaks need prompt attention but can often be scheduled for the next available appointment rather than the middle of the night.
A steady drip from a pressure-relief valve, a slow weep at a fitting, or a small puddle under a condensing furnace falls here. So does a storage water heater showing a slow leak at its base — that tank likely needs replacing, but if you have shut off its water and power, you are not in immediate danger.
The right move is to isolate the appliance, contain the water, and call 604-359-1081 to book the soonest sensible repair. You stop the damage now and get it fixed properly without paying for a 3 a.m. visit you did not need.
Leaks That Can Usually Wait a Day
A few situations are genuinely low urgency, provided you take basic steps.
A minor condensate drip from a high-efficiency furnace or boiler — often just a clogged drain line — is messy but not dangerous. A small amount of condensation on pipes during a humid spell may not be a leak at all. A single slow drip you have caught in a container, with the appliance shut off, can wait for a scheduled visit.
Even so, waiting is only safe if you have ruled out gas, kept water away from electrical parts, and stopped the unit from running while it leaks. When in doubt, a quick call to 604-359-1081 will tell you whether you can wait.
When You're Not Sure, Call
The honest answer is that you do not have to diagnose urgency alone. Describing what you see over the phone is often enough for us to tell you whether it is an emergency.
Call GasBoilers.ca at 604-359-1081 and explain the appliance, how fast the water is moving, and whether you smell gas or see it near electrical parts. Our parent company CanroHeat services boilers, furnaces, heat pumps, and water heaters across Greater Vancouver, so we can advise on any of them.
There is no downside to checking. It is far better to ask and be reassured than to wait and discover the leak was the urgent kind.