Burst pipe: shut off the water, limit the damage, and who to call

Where is the main water shut-off valve, and how do you close it?

The main shut-off valve stops every pipe in the house at once. Where it sits depends on your climate.

In cold climates the valve is inside, protected from freezing. The City of Columbus water division says the main valve is next to the water meter, typically in a basement or utility closet, where the service line enters the house. San Mateo County’s emergency guide says to look in the basement, the garage, or where the line enters the home.

In warm climates like Florida the meter is outside. Pinellas County Utilities says the meter is typically in the front yard near the street, and the house valve is generally where the line enters the dwelling. The City of Tampa says the private shut-off valve is typically on the side of the home, between the meter box and the house, sometimes behind bushes. Tampa also warns that the curb stop, the city’s own valve, is city property and only an authorized city representative may turn it. Use your house valve. If you cannot find one or it will not close, call the utility’s emergency number.

Find your valve on a calm day and test it, as the Columbus water division suggests, by turning it off briefly and checking that water is off throughout the home.

What should you do in the first 30 minutes after a pipe bursts?

Work in this order. Each step protects the next one.

1. Close the main valve. The Red Cross says that if water pipes are damaged, turn off the water at the main valve and call a plumber.
2. Stay clear of wet electricity. Ready.gov says do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. CDC says never to turn power on or off while standing in water, and to call an electrician if you would have to enter standing water to reach the main switch.
3. Turn off the water heater. With the supply closed, an open hot faucet or a leak on the hot side can empty the tank. Rheem’s use and care manual says the tank must be full of water before the heater is turned on. Flip the heater’s breaker, or turn a gas unit’s control to off as the label on the unit shows.
4. Open the faucets. Open the lowest faucet in the house and one upstairs. The water left in the pipes runs into a sink or tub instead of out of the break.
5. Move what you can. Lift rugs, move furniture and boxes, and pull electronics off wet floors.
6. Start removing water. A wet/dry vacuum, mop and towels handle a small spill. For more than that, follow our water damage emergency page. If the water came from a drain, toilet or sewer line, use our sewage steps instead.

How do you document a burst pipe for an insurance claim?

Photos come before cleanup. NAIC says to take photos or videos and list damaged and lost items before removing any debris or belongings, and to save damaged items so your insurer can inspect them if possible.

For a burst pipe, three records matter most:

• The pipe itself. Photograph the burst section in place before the plumber cuts it out. Ask the plumber to keep the failed piece and to write on the invoice what failed, such as a split joint, a corroded elbow or a frozen section.
• The water’s path. Shoot each wet room from the doorway, then the floor, the base of the walls and anything soaked. Water lines on drywall and boxes show how deep it got.
• Your response. Note when you found the leak and when you closed the valve. Keep receipts for fans, dehumidifiers, the plumber, the drying crew and any hotel night.

The standard HO-3 form lists duties after a loss: protect the property from further damage, make reasonable and necessary repairs to protect it, and keep an accurate record of repair expenses. The form says the insurer has no duty to provide coverage if a failure to comply is prejudicial to it. NAIC adds that most insurers have deadlines for reporting claims, so call soon. Our guide to documenting your claim shows what a complete file looks like.

Who do you call: a plumber, a restoration company, or both?

Usually both, and on the same day.

A licensed plumber repairs or replaces the pipe. Ask them to check the rest of the run, since a pipe that burst from age or corrosion often has weak spots nearby. The main valve stays closed until then.

A water mitigation company removes the water and dries the structure. Water wicks up drywall, soaks carpet pad and runs under flooring, and EPA says it is important to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. A mitigation crew uses a moisture meter to find wet material you cannot see, then sets air movers and dehumidifiers. Our guide to water mitigation vs restoration explains where drying ends and rebuilding begins, and how long drying takes shows a normal job day by day.

Before you sign, use our questions to ask a restoration company. Ask for a scope limited to emergency drying, daily moisture readings and a final drying log. A small spill on tile may not need a crew. Wet drywall, insulation or subfloor almost always does.

Does homeowners insurance cover a burst pipe?

Most of the time the water damage is covered and the pipe is not. NAIC says homeowners policies cover damage from a sudden and accidental discharge from a plumbing system. Triple-I says the HO-3 covers accidental discharge of water from a plumbing system, and its table of perils lists that coverage for the HO-2 and HO-3 forms but not the Basic HO-1 form.

The ISO sample HO-3 form draws the lines this way:

Triple-I’s loss data shows why insurers look closely at these claims. For 2019 through 2023, water damage and freezing claims averaged $15,400 per claim, with about 1.5 claims per 100 insured homes each year.

This table summarizes a sample form. It is not a coverage decision, and your policy wording controls. Check your declarations page and endorsements, and ask your insurer, your state insurance department, a licensed public adjuster or an attorney about your claim. Our guide to water damage coverage goes deeper on sudden versus gradual, and the insurance claims hub covers the process.

What if the pipe froze?

Water expands as it freezes, and the Red Cross says that expansion can break pipes no matter what they are made of. The pipes that freeze most often are exposed to cold: outdoor hose bibs, pool and sprinkler lines, pipes in unheated basements, crawl spaces, attics, garages and kitchen cabinets, and pipes along poorly insulated outside walls.

If a pipe is frozen but has not burst, the Red Cross says to keep the faucet open and warm the frozen section with an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, a portable space heater kept away from flammable materials, or towels soaked in hot water. Do not use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove or other open flame device. If you cannot reach the frozen area or cannot thaw it, call a licensed plumber. IBHS gives the same first step: if water is not flowing, shut off the supply and call a plumber.

To prevent the next freeze, the Red Cross says to let cold water drip from faucets served by exposed pipes when it is very cold, keep the thermostat at one temperature day and night, and leave heat on at no lower than 55°F if you go away. IBHS’s Winter Ready checklist adds insulating pipes in attics, crawl spaces and along outside walls, and draining outdoor faucets, hoses and irrigation lines before a freeze.

Those steps also protect your claim. NAIC says policies generally require a minimum indoor temperature, or shutting off the water if the home is vacant, and that if the insurer finds those measures were neglected, the damage may not be covered.

What does a burst pipe cost to fix?

Two bills arrive: the plumbing repair and the cleanup.

Angi notes that a pipe under a concrete floor or behind a concrete wall can push a repair toward $4,500. The cleanup bill varies more, because it depends on how far the water spread and how fast drying started. Our water damage restoration cost guide compares the published sources and shows what a drying invoice should itemize.

Florida: deadlines and contracts to know

The second rule matters the night of the leak, because some crews still present forms that direct claim payments to them. Check the issue date on your declarations page and ask your insurer or an attorney before signing anything that mentions assignment of benefits. You can hire a drying crew without one. More guides are on our water damage hub.