What to Do When a Pipe Bursts (First 5 Minutes)

Shoresteady Plumbing technician repairing pipes

Six things to do in the first five minutes, in order, all of them within reach of one person with no tools. What you do now decides how big the bill gets.

A burst pipe puts water into your house at somewhere between five and twenty gallons a minute. What you do in the first five minutes matters more than how fast anybody can get to you, and all of it is within reach of one person with no tools.

In order: shut the water off at the main. Kill the power to any wet area at the breaker. Open the lowest taps in the house to drain the pipes. Then start photographing, and call us.

1. Shut off the water at the main

This is the whole job. On town water the main shutoff is usually where the line enters the house, often in a crawlspace or utility room, or at the meter box near the road. On a well, switch the pump off at the breaker or the disconnect, then open a tap to relieve the pressure in the tank.

If the leak is at one fixture and the fixture stop still turns, that will do. If in any doubt, shut the whole house off. Nobody has ever regretted having no water for two hours.

2. Kill the power to the wet area

Water and electricity in the same room is the part of this that actually hurts people. Switch off the breaker for that area from a dry position. If the panel itself is wet or standing water has reached outlets, do not touch it. Leave the building and call the utility.

3. Drain the system

Open the lowest cold taps in the house, then the hot ones, and flush the toilets. That empties the pipes so the remaining water goes down a drain rather than through the ceiling. On a gas or electric water heater, switch it off first so it does not fire on an emptying tank.

4. Photograph everything before you clean up

Wide shots of each room, close shots of the pipe, of the water line on the wall and of any damaged contents. Insurers ask, and memory is not evidence. Keep any section of failed pipe if it comes out.

5. Start moving water and air

Get furniture and rugs up off wet floors, mop, or wet vac what you can, and get airflow going. Mold starts in about 24 to 48 hours, so the drying matters almost as much as the repair. Lift the corner of soaked carpet rather than leaving the pad to sit.

6. Call us

We take emergency calls seven days a week, 8:00am to 9:00pm, evenings, and weekends included, and urgent ones go to the front of the schedule. Overnight callout is the one thing we do not run, and we would rather say that plainly than have you waiting on a call back at midnight. With the water off, the damage has stopped and the repair can wait until morning. If the burst is at night, do the five steps above and ring us when we open. What we do on an urgent call is on our emergency plumbing page.

Why pipes burst here

Freezing is the usual cause, and on the Shore it is nearly always an exposed run: a crawlspace pipe with no insulation, a line in an outside wall, or a hose bib nobody disconnected in November. The second cause is pipe that was already at the end of its life, which is why one burst on an old system is worth reading the repipe warning signs over.

Preventing the next one

Disconnect and drain garden hoses before the first freeze, and fit frost free sillcocks.
Insulate any pipe in a crawlspace, attic or outside wall.
On a cold snap, open the cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls and let one tap drip.
If you leave a Shore property empty in winter, shut the water off at the main and drain the system rather than trusting the heating.
Label your main shutoff so anyone in the house can find it in the dark.

Questions We Get Asked About Burst Pipes

Where is my main water shutoff

Usually where the supply enters the house, or at the meter near the road. On a well, the pump breaker is your shutoff. Find it today rather than at 2am.

Do you offer emergency call out for a burst pipe

Yes, and our hours are longer than most out here: 8:00am to 9:00pm, seven days a week, evenings and weekends included. Urgent calls go to the front of the schedule. Overnight callout is the one thing we do not run, so if a pipe lets go at 2:00am, shut the water off at the main and the damage stops until we get there first thing.

Will insurance cover a burst pipe

Sudden and accidental water damage is commonly covered. The pipe repair itself often is not, and damage from a leak you knew about usually is not either. Photograph everything.

Can I use a repair clamp myself

A push fit repair coupling or a clamp can hold a split temporarily on copper or PEX. Treat it as a stopgap, not a repair, and keep the water off until it is done properly.

How much will the repair cost

Typically $250 to $1,500 depending on where the pipe is. There is a full breakdown in what leak repair costs on the Eastern Shore.

Get it repaired properly

See our leak detection and water leak repair pages or request service.

Written by the team at Shoresteady Plumbing, Temperanceville, Virginia. Master plumbing licensed in Virginia and Maryland. Prices shown are typical ranges for the Eastern Shore, not a quote. Your written estimate is the only number that binds either of us.

Reading about it is one thing, fixing it is another

Tell us what is going on and we will get you on the schedule. Written estimate before we start, and a 2-year workmanship guarantee on every job.

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Book with our team, or call us seven days a week from 8am to 9pm.

Call (757) 824-9862

What to Do When a Pipe Bursts Before the Plumber Arrives