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When a pipe bursts, shut off the main water valve first, cut power to any wet area second, move what can be moved and get the standing water out third, call a plumber and then your insurer fourth, and photograph everything before cleanup throughout. The order matters: water first because every minute adds gallons, power second because wet floors and outlets are the danger, and photos before cleanup because the claim is decided on what you can show.
This post is the first hour in order, then the days after. Read it once now, and find the main shutoff today; the moment you need this is not the moment to learn where the valve is.
What do you do in the first ten minutes?
In the first ten minutes: shut the main water valve, switch off the breaker for any area with water near outlets or appliances (or the main breaker if you are unsure), open the lowest faucet in the house to drain the pipes and relieve pressure, and, if the water is near the water heater, turn its heat source off. Then take a breath and start moving things.
- Shut off the main. Turn a gate valve clockwise until it stops; turn a ball valve's lever a quarter turn so it sits across the pipe. If the main will not close, shut off at the meter with a meter key, or call the water utility.
- Cut the power to the wet area at the panel, or the main breaker if the wet area is large or unclear. Do not wade to a panel that is itself in the water; call the utility.
- Open the lowest cold faucet in the house (a basement sink, an outdoor spigot) so the pipes drain and the burst point stops flowing.
- If water is around the water heater or furnace, turn off the gas control or the equipment's breaker.
- If the burst is from a frozen pipe, leave the faucet nearest it open so thawing water has somewhere to go, and do not apply heat until the main is off. The freeze guide covers thawing.
What do you do in the rest of the first hour?
In the rest of the first hour, get people and pets out of the wet area, move furniture, rugs, electronics, and boxes off the wet floor, get the standing water out with a wet-dry vacuum, mops, and towels, start air moving with fans and open windows if the weather allows, call a plumber for the repair, and call your insurer's claims line to open the claim and ask what they need. Photograph and video the scene before and while you do all of it.
- Move things up, not out: furniture on foil or blocks, boxes onto tables, rugs rolled and out of the room.
- Pull up wet rugs and lift the edge of carpet; pad holds water for days.
- Empty the standing water; every gallon removed is a gallon that does not soak into the subfloor.
- Fans and, if you have one, a dehumidifier; the goal is drying started within hours.
- Call the plumber and describe where the water came from; a burst supply line and a failed water heater are different visits.
- Call the insurer, open the claim, and ask about emergency mitigation coverage and whether they want a restoration company on site.
What should you document, and when?
Document before cleanup and during it: wide photos of each affected room, close photos of the burst point and the water line on walls and furniture, video walking through the damage, the time you found it and the time you shut off the water, and everything you throw away with a photo before it goes. Keep every receipt for fans, materials, and services. The claim is decided on this record, and so is any warranty or contractor dispute.
Put the photos, the timeline, and the plumber's report in the home record the same day, attached to the plumbing system's page. If the pipe failed because of installation, the record is also the warranty claim; the timeline post explains why the dates matter. If you are insured, the new-build insurance post describes how the warranty and the policy divide the loss.
What happens in the days after?
In the days after, the plumber repairs the pipe and tells you why it failed (freeze, a fitting, a pinhole, a pressure problem), the drying continues until moisture readings say the materials are dry rather than until they look dry, a restoration company removes what cannot be dried (wet drywall, insulation, carpet pad), and the insurer's adjuster inspects. Mold is the risk after about two days of wet material, so drying is not the step to save money on.
Fix the cause as well as the pipe: insulate the run that froze, add a pressure regulator if pressure was the cause, replace the failed fitting type throughout if the plumber says it is a known problem, and consider a leak detector with an automatic shutoff valve on the main, which turns the next burst into a text message instead of a flood.
Common questions
Where is the main water shutoff?
Usually where the water line enters the house: in the basement or crawlspace on the street-facing wall, in a utility room, in the garage, or in a box near the meter at the street. Find it now, turn it once to make sure it moves, and label it. Every adult in the house should know where it is.
Should I turn off the electricity?
If water is anywhere near outlets, the panel, or appliances, yes, at the breaker for that area or at the main, before you walk into the water. If the panel itself is in the wet area, do not touch it; call the utility or an electrician. Water and electricity together are the one part of this that can kill you.
Will insurance cover it?
Sudden, accidental water damage from a burst pipe is commonly covered; damage from a slow leak that was neglected, or from a pipe that froze because the heat was left off, may not be. The policy decides. Your job is to stop the water fast, mitigate the damage, and document everything before and during cleanup; the insurer expects all three.
What should you do next?
Find the main shutoff today, turn it, and label it; put its location in the record where everyone in the house can see it. Then do the freeze protection before winter if you are in a cold region, because a frozen pipe is the burst most owners could have prevented.