Burst Pipe in Your Home? What to Do in the First Hour

A burst pipe can put a lot of water into a home in a short time, and most of the damage happens in the first few hours. What you do in that first hour decides whether you're replacing a few feet of drywall or a whole floor. Here's the order we walk homeowners through when they call us at 2 a.m.

1. Shut off the water

Turn off the main shutoff valve. In most homes in our area it's in the crawlspace near where the line enters, in the garage, or by the water heater. On a well system, also turn off the breaker for the well pump. If you can't find the shutoff, your water utility can turn it off at the meter.

2. Make it safe

• If water is near outlets, cords or the electrical panel, turn off power to that area at the breaker if you can do it from a dry spot. If not, stay out and call for help.
• Watch for sagging ceilings. A bulging ceiling can be holding a lot of water. Keep people and pets out from under it.
• If the water came from a sewer line or toilet, keep children and pets away from it.

3. Take photos before you clean up

Your insurance company will want to see what happened. Before you move anything, photograph:

• The broken pipe, if you can see it.
• Standing water and wet floors, walls and ceilings in every room.
• Damaged belongings, with a wide shot and a close-up of each.

Video works too. Take more than you think you need.

4. Get water off what you can

• Move furniture, electronics, rugs and boxes out of wet areas.
• Put foil or wood blocks under furniture legs that can't be moved.
• Mop up or wet-vac standing water if it's safe.
• Don't run a household vacuum on wet floors and don't turn on ceiling fans or lights if the ceiling is wet.

5. Call a plumber for the pipe and a water damage company for the house

These are two different jobs. A plumber repairs the pipe. A water damage company removes the water and dries the building: walls, subfloor, insulation and crawlspace. Wet materials that look dry on the surface can still be soaked inside, and that's what leads to mold and warped floors weeks later.

We use moisture meters to find where the water went, then set up air movers and dehumidifiers and check readings every day until the materials are dry. Most homes are dry in 3 to 7 days.

6. Call your insurance company

Report the claim and tell them a water damage company is handling mitigation. We provide photos, moisture readings, drying logs and a scope of work for your adjuster, and we send the mitigation paperwork plus the repair estimate within a week of finishing the drying. Your insurer determines what your policy covers.

Common burst pipe causes we see

• Pipes that froze during a cold snap and split when they thawed. See How to Keep Your Pipes From Freezing in Skagit Valley.
• Failed supply lines to toilets, sinks and washing machines.
• Water heater failures. See water damage problems we handle.
• Old pipe fittings in crawlspaces.

We're available 24/7

Hand in Hand Restoration is family owned and based in Bow, and we're an IICRC Certified Firm. We serve Mount Vernon, Burlington, Bellingham, Stanwood, Everett, Oak Harbor and communities across Skagit, Whatcom, Snohomish and Island counties.

Pipe burst? Call 360-770-0058. Calls are answered live, day or night. Tell us where you are and what happened, and we'll take it from there.