You walk into the garage to the sound of running water and you know it isn't raining. A quick look around reveals a leak from above the water heater is spraying the walls and soaking the floor.  What do you do?

A. Ignore it. It's just your water heater letting off steam and it should seal itself up soon.

B. Call your son the plumber at home, work, and at every number you have for him and everyone he knows making sure to leave panicked messages with everyone. (This is what my mom did)

C. Shut off the water either above the water heater (turns off just hot water) or at the main water supply line to the house (turns off all water) to stop the leak. Then calmly call around for estimates for the repair.

If your answer was C, congratulations on your plumbing knowledge and quick thinking .

If you answered A or B be sure to read about where to shut off the water to your plumbing so you will know what do should you be faced with this plumbing emergency.