What to do when a pipe bursts
Close the main water shutoff first. Open a faucet on the lowest level to drain pressure. Turn off electricity to wet areas if the panel is safe to reach. Move belongings out of the water, photograph the damage, call a plumber for the repair and request water damage cleanup.
How much water a burst pipe releases
A half-inch supply line can release several gallons a minute. An hour of that is hundreds of gallons. If the break is on an upper floor, the water goes through the floor, across the ceiling below and down the walls. If nobody is home, it runs all day.
Where pipes fail
- Braided supply hoses to toilets, faucets and washing machines, especially older ones
- Ice maker and dishwasher lines, which are small and hidden
- Soldered joints and fittings in older copper plumbing
- Pipes in exterior walls that froze. See frozen pipe water damage
- Water heater connections
What the cleanup involves
Tracing the path
Water from a burst pipe rarely stays in one room. We follow it through each level to find every wet wall, ceiling and floor.
Extraction
Standing water and saturated carpet are handled with water extraction.
Ceilings and walls
A ceiling under a burst pipe often holds water above the drywall. It is drained in a controlled way and opened as needed. See ceiling and wall water damage.
Drying
Structural drying runs until framing and subfloors are back to normal moisture levels.
Plumber or restoration company?
You usually need both. The plumber fixes the pipe. A restoration company deals with the water that came out of it. If the water is off and the leak has stopped, cleanup can begin before the pipe is repaired.
Why burst pipe damage is usually a good candidate for drying in place
Supply water is clean. If cleanup starts within the first day, most drywall, framing, carpet and subfloor can be dried without tearing out. The longer it sits, the more that changes.
Insurance notes
Sudden pipe breaks are one of the more commonly covered water losses, but coverage depends on your policy. Photograph the broken pipe before it is repaired, keep the failed part if you can, and save the plumber’s invoice. More in water damage insurance questions.