What to do when a pipe bursts in your home

A burst pipe is loud, fast, and frightening, and the first few minutes matter more than anything a plumber does afterward. A supply line under normal household pressure can release many gallons a minute, so the goal in the moment is not to fix anything. It is to stop the water, keep people safe, protect what you can, and get help on the way. Here is the order to do things in, followed by what happens next and how to keep it from happening again in a Minnesota winter.

Step one: shut off the water

Find the main shutoff valve and close it. In most Eden Prairie homes it is in the basement or utility room where the water line enters the house, near the water meter. It is either a lever handle (turn it a quarter turn so it sits across the pipe) or a round wheel handle (turn clockwise until it stops). If the burst is on a single fixture's supply line and that fixture has its own shutoff valve, closing that valve will do, but when in doubt close the main.

If you cannot find the main shutoff or it will not turn, call for emergency plumbing right away and say so; a technician can shut water off at the meter or the curb stop.

This is the one step worth doing before you have a plumbing emergency: find your main shutoff today, make sure it turns, and show everyone in the household where it is.

Step two: relieve the pressure and drain the lines

With the main closed, open the cold and hot taps at the lowest faucet in the house and at a faucet on the top floor. This lets the remaining water in the pipes drain out through the faucets instead of through the break, and it relieves the pressure that keeps pushing water out of the damaged section.

Step three: protect the water heater

If your water heater is a tank type, and the water has been shut off, the tank should not keep heating with no supply. Turn the water heater off: for a gas unit, turn the gas control to OFF or PILOT; for an electric unit, switch off its breaker. This protects the tank while the water is off, and it is the kind of switch every homeowner should know how to reach.

Step four: stay clear of electricity

Water and electricity meet quickly in a flooded basement. If water is near outlets, a panel, or appliances that are plugged in, do not step into the water. If you can reach the main breaker safely and without standing in water, turn off power to the affected area. If you cannot do that safely, stay out and say so when you call.

Step five: limit the damage

Move rugs, boxes, electronics, and furniture out of the water. Put a bucket under any active drip. Open cabinet doors under sinks so the space can begin to dry. If water is pooling above a ceiling, treat the sagging area as unsafe: keep everyone out from under it and away from any light fixture in it, and turn off power to that room if you can reach the breaker safely. Do not stand beneath a bulge to drain it. Tell the plumber about it when you call so the release and the repair are handled together.

Step six: call for emergency plumbing

Tiger answers plumbing emergencies 24 hours a day, including nights and weekends, through an answering service that dispatches a technician. Call 952-942-5748. Tell them the water is shut off (or that it is not), where the break is, and whether there is water near electrical equipment. The emergency plumbing page explains what counts as an emergency and what to expect.

Step seven: document everything

Before cleanup goes far, take photos and video of the break, the water, and everything it touched. Keep damaged items until your insurance company says otherwise, and keep receipts for any emergency supplies or drying equipment. Many homeowner policies cover sudden pipe failures, but terms vary; your agent can tell you what your policy needs from you.

What the repair involves

A technician locates the failed section, confirms nothing else along the line was damaged, and replaces the section rather than patching it. If the pipe failed because it froze, the technician also looks at why that section froze and what will keep it from freezing again. If the pipe is an older material that is failing in more than one place, the conversation may turn to replacing a longer run, and the technician will explain the options. Tiger handles pipe repair and replacement and the water heater checks that often follow a flood, for homes in Eden Prairie and across the West Metro.

Why pipes burst, and how to prevent it

Freezing. This is the big one in Minnesota. Water expands as it freezes, and a pipe running through an unheated garage, an exterior wall, a crawlspace, or near a drafty sill plate can freeze and split during a cold snap. The break often does not show itself until the ice thaws and water flows again.

• Keep the furnace running while you are away, and never let the house drop below the low 50s.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls during deep cold so warm air reaches the pipes.
• Let a faucet served by a vulnerable line drip slowly on the coldest nights; moving water is much harder to freeze.
• Disconnect garden hoses in the fall and shut off and drain outdoor spigots.
• Insulate exposed pipes in garages, crawlspaces, and unfinished areas.

Age and corrosion. Older galvanized steel and some older copper lines thin from the inside over decades until a weak spot lets go.

Pressure. Household pressure that is too high stresses every joint and fitting. A worn pressure-reducing valve can let street pressure into the house unchecked.

Physical damage. A nail through a line during a renovation, or a pipe knocked loose from its hanger, can fail weeks or years later.