What to Do When a Pipe Bursts: A Step-by-Step Emergency Guide

First: don't panic, act

A burst pipe is loud, wet, and alarming — and the first few minutes genuinely decide whether you are dealing with a mop-up or a gutted basement. The good news is that the steps are simple, and you can do most of them before we arrive.

Read this now, while everything is dry, and remember the first move: shut off the water. Everything else follows from that.

Step 1: Shut off the main water valve

This is the single most important thing you will do. Every gallon that stops now is a gallon that will not damage your home.

Your main shut-off valve is usually located:

• Where the water line enters the house, often in the basement or a crawl space
• Near the water meter
• On an outside wall on the side of the house facing the street

Turn it clockwise (righty-tighty) until it stops. If it is a lever, rotate it a quarter turn until it is crosswise to the pipe.

Every adult in your home should know where this valve is before an emergency. If you have never located yours, go find it after you finish reading this. On a well system, shut off the pump and the pressure tank valve instead.

Step 2: Kill the power if water is near it

Water and electricity are a deadly combination. If water is spraying near outlets, light fixtures, your electrical panel, or is pooling on the floor of a room with electronics:

• Shut off power to that area at the breaker panel — but only if you can reach the panel without standing in water.
• If the panel itself is wet or you would have to wade to reach it, do not touch it. Stay clear and call the power company or an electrician.

When in doubt, keep your hands off anything electrical and get people away from the water.

Step 3: Drain the remaining water

Even with the main off, water is still sitting in your pipes above the break, and it will keep draining out.

1. Open all your cold taps and let them run until they sputter dry. This relieves pressure and empties the lines.
2. Flush the toilets to clear those lines.
3. Turn off the water heater, then open the hot taps to drain the hot side. Shutting off the heater protects it from running dry.

Draining the system fast means less water finding its way to the break.

Step 4: Contain and document the damage

Now limit what the water can ruin, and protect yourself for the insurance claim.

• Move what you can — furniture, boxes, electronics, anything on the floor — out of the water's path.
• Start removing standing water with towels, a mop, or a wet/dry vacuum. The faster it is gone, the less it soaks into floors and walls.
• Photograph and video everything before you clean up too much: the burst pipe, the standing water, and every damaged item. This documentation matters for your homeowner's insurance claim.
• Lay down towels and open windows to start drying the space and slow mold growth, which can take hold within a day or two.

Step 5: Call a plumber

With the water off and the area draining, call for professional help. A burst pipe needs a real repair, not a patch, and the cause — a freeze, corroded galvanized pipe, or a failed joint — needs to be diagnosed so it does not happen again.

We handle burst and frozen pipe repair and answer emergency plumbing calls around the clock — nights, weekends, and holidays — with no after-hours upcharge. Call us and we will talk you through anything you are unsure about while we head your way. We aim to arrive quickly for local calls across Flushing and the surrounding communities.

When you call, it helps to tell us:

1. Where the leak is, if you know
2. Whether you have gotten the main shut off
3. How much water is involved
4. Whether it may be a frozen pipe

Why pipes burst here

Understanding the cause helps prevent the next one. In Genesee County, the usual suspects are:

• Freezing. Our December-through-February cold freezes unprotected pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces, and garages. Ice pressure splits the pipe.
• Aging galvanized pipe. A lot of local homes built before 1975 still have galvanized steel supply lines that corrode from the inside until they fail.
• Corroded joints and fittings that give way after decades of service.
• Water pressure that is too high, stressing pipes over time — which is why a pressure-reducing valve matters.

If your home has older galvanized plumbing that keeps springing leaks, the long-term fix is replacing it. Our whole-home repiping crews swap aging pipe for durable PEX or copper, and homes throughout Flushing Township and Flint rely on that work to stop the cycle of emergency leaks.

Save this before you need it

The homeowners who come through a burst pipe with minimal damage are the ones who knew where the shut-off was and acted in the first two minutes. Locate your main valve today. Show your family. And keep our number handy.

If a pipe has burst — or you want to prevent the next one — call us any time at (207) 419-2600. We are here 24/7 with upfront pricing and no holiday surcharge.