Shut off your main water supply the moment a pipe bursts — before assessing the damage, before calling anyone. Every second with the supply on multiplies repair costs. This step-by-step guide covers what to do in the first five minutes, what to document for insurance, and when to call a licensed plumber.
Step 1: Main Water Shutoff — Do This First
Your main water shutoff valve is either at the water meter (outside, near the curb) or where the supply line enters the house (garage wall, utility room, or under a utility sink). Turn it fully off. On a ball valve, the handle should be perpendicular to the pipe — that's fully closed. On a gate valve (older homes), turn clockwise until it stops.
If you don't know where your main shutoff is, find it now — before you need it. This is the most valuable five-minute investment in home maintenance you can make.
Step 2: Release Pressure from the Lines
With the main shut off, open faucets at the lowest point in the house (often a utility sink or bathtub) to drain the remaining water in the lines. This relieves residual pressure and reduces the amount of water that will continue flowing from the break. If the burst pipe is on a hot water line, also turn off the gas supply to the water heater or switch an electric unit to vacation mode.
Step 3: Contain What You Can
Move belongings away from water. Place towels, buckets, and trash cans under ceiling drips. If water has reached electrical outlets, panels, or light fixtures — stop and leave the area. Shut off the electrical circuit at your breaker panel if you can do so safely from a dry location. Never stand in standing water near electrical sources.
Step 4: Document Everything for Insurance
Photograph the burst pipe location, the damage path, and affected belongings before any cleanup begins. Take video if possible. Note the time you discovered it. Your homeowner's insurance claim will go much more smoothly with time-stamped documentation of the pre-remediation state.
Step 5: What Causes Pipes to Burst in DFW
In DFW, the leading causes are: sustained below-freezing temperatures reaching uninsulated pipes in garages, attics, and exterior walls (the 2021 storm demonstrated this on a catastrophic scale); water pressure chronically above 80 PSI fatiguing joints over years; aging galvanized steel pipe corroding from the inside until it fails; and slab movement from DFW's expansive clay soil stressing embedded copper until a joint cracks. The repair approach depends on the cause.
Step 6: Call a Licensed Plumber
Burst pipe repair is not a temporary patch job. The right fix depends on what caused the failure — a spot repair on sound pipe, a reroute if the pipe material is at end of life, or a pressure-reducing valve installation if high pressure was the underlying cause. Staggs Plumbing is available 24/7. Call 682-284-0966. We arrive with parts, and we give you a flat-rate price before work begins. 2-year labor warranty on all repairs. License #M-17697.
