Guides · Twin Cities homes
A pipe burst — what do I do right now?
The short answer
Shut off the main water valve first — usually in the basement where the line enters the house, near the meter. Then cut power to any area where water is near outlets or appliances, open the lowest faucet to drain the lines, photograph the damage for insurance, and call a plumber. Everything else can wait.
The first ten minutes, in order
- 1. Shut the main. Basement, street side of the house, near the water meter — a lever (turn a quarter turn) or a round wheel (turn clockwise until it stops). If you can't find it or it won't budge, the outdoor curb stop at the street is the city's — call the city's after-hours line.
- 2. Kill the power to any room where water is near outlets, the furnace, the water heater, or the electrical panel. Flip breakers; don't wade through water to reach them.
- 3. Drain the lines. Open the lowest faucet in the house and a couple of others. It relieves pressure and empties the pipes, which stops the flow from the break even before the main is fully closed.
- 4. Photograph everything before you clean up — the break, the water, the damage. Your insurance adjuster will want it, and sudden burst-pipe damage is typically covered where slow leaks aren't.
- 5. Call. Then start moving things out of the water.
Why Twin Cities pipes burst in the thaw, not the freeze
A pipe that freezes solid usually doesn't leak — the ice plugs the split it made. The flood comes when the ice melts and the split opens. That's why burst calls spike on the first warm day after a cold snap, and why a pipe that "survived" a freeze deserves a careful look before you trust it. The usual locations here: supply lines in exterior walls on older Minneapolis and St. Paul blocks, garage and crawlspace runs, the line to the outdoor spigot, and anywhere near a rim joist where the insulation stops.
The other common Minnesota burst has nothing to do with cold: a braided supply line under a sink or behind a toilet letting go. Those can flood a floor in an hour, which is why we replace them whenever we're already under a sink.
After the water stops
Get air moving — fans, dehumidifier, open cabinets — within the first day; mold starts inside 48 hours. Pull up wet rugs and move furniture off wet flooring. If drywall or a ceiling is saturated, it usually has to come out. Water that reached the furnace, water heater, or electrical should be checked before anything is turned back on. Keep the photos, keep receipts, and call your insurer the same day.
Try it yourself, or call?
Worth trying first
- The five steps above — every one of them is yours to do before we arrive
- Find your main shutoff today, before you need it, and turn it once to make sure it moves
- Replace any braided supply lines older than about ten years
Time to call
- Immediately, once the water is off — a burst is an emergency and jumps the line
- The main valve won't close or is leaking itself
- The break is inside a wall or ceiling
- A pipe froze and thawed with no visible leak — it may have split and be waiting for pressure
Common questions
Will homeowners insurance cover a burst pipe?
Sudden, accidental bursts — a frozen pipe splitting, a supply line failing — are usually covered, including the water damage. Slow leaks you should have noticed, and damage from a house left unheated, often aren't. Photos and a prompt claim help. We're happy to write up what we found for the adjuster.
I shut the main but water is still coming out. Why?
The pipes above the break are still draining — that's normal and it stops within a few minutes. Opening faucets speeds it up. If it keeps flowing at full force, the valve didn't fully close (old gate valves often don't) or you closed the wrong valve. Try the other one near the meter.
Can I patch it myself until you get there?
A rubber patch and a hose clamp on a pinhole can buy time if the water is off and back on at low pressure. Don't rely on it and don't use it on a real split. The permanent fix is cutting out the damaged section, and we bring what that needs.