Guide: plumbing
A pipe just burst? Shut off the main water valve now.
Close the main water shutoff, turn off power to any wet area, and open a faucet at the lowest point of the house to drain what is left in the pipes. Then call a plumber to repair the pipe. If water has soaked into floors, walls or ceilings, you also need a water damage restoration company to dry it out.
Connects you to an independent plumbing company. Home Service Lab does not perform the work and does not set the price.
In this order
- Close the main water shutoff. Usually where the water line enters the house: a basement wall, a utility room, near the water heater, or in a box by the street. Turn it clockwise until it stops.
- Turn off electricity to wet areas. At the breaker panel, from a dry spot.
- Drain the lines. Open the lowest cold tap in the house, and flush toilets, so the water left in the pipes comes out there and not through the break.
- If it is a hot water pipe, turn off the water heater. Gas to "pilot" or off, or the breaker for an electric heater.
- Photograph the damage and call. Pictures first, then the plumber, then your insurer.
Frozen pipe? Never thaw it with an open flame. A hair dryer or warm towels on the pipe, with the faucet open, is the safe way, and only once you know it has not split.
The plumber fixes the pipe. Someone else dries the house.
A plumber repairs or replaces the broken section and checks the rest of the line. They are not set up to dry walls and subfloors. If water spread beyond a small puddle, a restoration company measures the moisture and dries it out.
The EPA says drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours prevents mold growth in most cases, so book the drying the same day the pipe is fixed.
Questions
Common questions
Who do I call for a burst pipe?
A plumber to repair the pipe. If the water reached floors, walls or ceilings, also call a water damage restoration company to dry the house out.
Where is my main water shutoff?
Usually where the water line comes into the house, often on a basement or utility room wall, near the water heater, or in a garage. Some homes only have a shutoff at the meter box near the street, which may need a meter key.
Being straight with you
We connect the call. We do not do the work.
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