A pipe burst and water is spraying
Shut off the water at your main valve immediately, then open a low faucet to drain the pressure out of the system. Keep clear of water near outlets or the electrical panel. With the water off you have already prevented most of the damage that would otherwise keep accumulating.
Do this first
- Shut off the water at your main valve. In most Houston homes it is at the street in a meter box, or on an exterior wall where the supply enters.
- Open a faucet at the lowest point in the house to drain remaining pressure.
- Stay away from any water near outlets, appliances, or the electrical panel.
- Move what you can out of the water, then call us and say a pipe has burst.
What it usually is
- A freeze splitHouston freezes rarely, but the hard ones catch pipes that were never insulated — attic and exterior wall runs first.
- Corroded or aged pipeGalvanized and older copper fail at thin spots, usually with no warning.
- Physical damageA nail, a screw, or work done nearby. Common after a remodel.
- Excess pressureA failed pressure regulator lets street pressure through and stresses every joint in the house.
When to call, and when it can wait
If you do need us
Confirm it is isolated
We check the water is genuinely off and nothing is still feeding the leak.
Locate the failure
Sometimes obvious, sometimes inside a wall or the attic. We open the minimum needed.
Repair and pressure test
Section replaced, then the system is brought back up and checked.
Tell you what caused it
A freeze split and a corroded line mean very different things about the rest of your plumbing.
Houston note
Houston's hard freezes come every few years rather than every winter, which is exactly why so many homes here are unprepared. Attic runs and exterior wall pipe are the first to split. If you have been through one freeze event with no damage, that is luck rather than protection.
Related problems
What moves the price
- ACCESSExposed pipe, attic, or inside a finished wall.
- EXTENTOne split versus multiple failures along a run.
- HOURAfter-hours dispatch, quoted before we come out.
Questions about this
I cannot find my shutoff valve. What now?
Look for a meter box near the street, usually a rectangular lid at the property line, or a valve where the supply enters the house. If you cannot find or turn it, tell us on the phone — we will talk you through it and prioritise the call.
Will my insurance cover this?
That is between you and your insurer, and we will not advise on a claim. What helps is photographs before anything is moved and an invoice describing what failed. We provide the invoice; the claim is yours.
Do you repair the drywall?
No. We leave clean access and can refer a finisher. Water damage drying and restoration is also a separate trade, and for anything beyond a small area it is worth calling one quickly.
Not sure how urgent it is?
Describe what is happening and we will tell you straight: call an emergency out now, book it for today, or leave it until the week.