Plumbing in Minnesota, outside the cities that freeze interior walls, is wells, pits, buried lines, and septics asked to survive a deep frost. A pressure tank in a cold basement short-cycles and the taps sputter. A buried line that was never placed with this frost in mind freezes in the yard, not under the sink. Cabins burst at the thaw if they were drained badly or not drained at all. Say whether the building is occupied or closed. Say if water is missing or showing up where it should not.
A frost-free hydrant still splits with a hose left on. Know which valve is inside. Sump pumps quit during snowmelt and that is not a dripping trap. If the pit is full, say so. Clay or brittle laterals belly and then a downstairs tub burps when the washer drains. Roots from a shelterbelt are a common reason on older lots. Sewage at a floor drain is not a clogged lavatory, and a house full of guests will expose a marginal septic.
Water heaters work through a long severe season and then leak at the tank on a busy morning. Know gas, oil, propane, or electric, and whether a pan and a flue are part of the picture. Mineral in well water spots fixtures and works the heater harder. Shut the supply if the floor is flooding, and say that you already did. This is a poor week to learn there is no isolation valve. A disturbed flue belongs in the first sentence.
Seasonal properties need a plain winterizing story: lines blown, traps protected, heat left on, or a door closed and a hope. Occupied farmhouses freeze at sill cocks and garage runs more often than at a city north-wall sink. If you do have an exterior-wall faucet that failed, say so, and say the heat was on. Do not borrow a city burst story for a well that simply stopped. The main shutoff location changes the first step. If it will not close, say that.
Lead with no water, a burst, a septic alarm, or a heater that quit. Name the town and cabin or year-round house. Say whether a hose is still on the hydrant. Call the number on this page.