# What should you do when a pipe bursts? > What to do when a pipe bursts in a Columbus house: stop the water, protect the electrical, photograph for insurance, dry the house and prevent the next freeze. URL: https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/burst-pipe-what-to-do/ Learn A step-by-step order for the first ten minutes, the first day and the week after a burst pipe, with what to photograph for the insurer and how to keep it from happening again in a Columbus winter. Last Updated: October 29, 2026 Learn A step-by-step order for the first ten minutes, the first day and the week after a burst pipe, with what to photograph for the insurer and how to keep it from happening again in a Columbus winter. Last Updated: October 29, 2026 When a pipe bursts, the first job is to stop the water at the main shutoff, and that comes before calling anyone. Then make the area electrically safe, cut power or gas to the water heater if hot water is draining, photograph the damage, and start moving water and belongings out of the way. [Slate Repiping Columbus](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/) offers and manages [burst pipe repair](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/burst-pipe-repair/) in Columbus and nearby Franklin County communities, and emergency calls for a burst pipe are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This guide walks through the order of steps and what to do in the days after. Key takeaways - Shut off the main first; in most Columbus houses it is in the basement near the inside water meter. - Keep away from water near outlets, the panel or ceiling lights. - Set a gas water heater to pilot or switch off an electric heater's breaker once the water is off. - Photograph the split and the damage before cleanup, and keep the cut-out pipe. - Columbus averages 103.2 nights a year at or below freezing, so the pipe that burst once will be tested again. ## The first ten minutes ### 1. Find and close the main shutoff The main shutoff is where the water service line enters the house. In most Columbus homes that is on the basement wall near the inside water meter. A round wheel handle turns clockwise until it stops; a lever handle turns a quarter turn so it sits across the pipe. If an old valve will not turn, try steady pressure rather than a hammer, because breaking it off makes things worse. Where the inside valve fails, the water utility controls the curb stop outside: Columbus Water & Power inside its service area, or the city that sends the water bill elsewhere. It is worth finding the main shutoff before anything goes wrong. A tag on the handle saves time on a bad night. ### 2. Make the area safe Water spreading toward the electrical panel, outlets, a ceiling light fixture or an appliance is the most dangerous part of a burst pipe. Do not walk through standing water near live electrical, and do not touch the panel while standing in water. If the breaker panel can be reached from a dry spot, the circuits for the wet area can be switched off; if not, stay out and call the electric utility or an electrician. A ceiling that is sagging with water can come down, so keep people out from under it. ### 3. Drain the lines and deal with the water heater Open a faucet at the lowest point in the house, such as a laundry tub or basement sink, and a faucet upstairs to let air in. That drains the water still in the pipes rather than letting it run out through the split. If hot water was draining, set a gas water heater to pilot or vacation, or switch off an electric heater’s breaker. An electric element running in an empty tank can be damaged. ### 4. Call Describe where the pipe is, what it is made of if you can tell (the [pipe material guide](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/how-to-identify-pipe-material/) helps), whether the water is off, and whether ceilings or electrical are involved. The [emergency pipe repair](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/emergency-pipe-repair/) page covers what an urgent visit is for. If the leak is outside the house, on the buried line between the curb and the meter, it is a [water line replacement](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/water-line-replacement/) question rather than an inside repair. ## The first few hours **Photograph everything before cleanup.** Insurers want to see the cause and the damage. Take close and wide photos of the split pipe, then every wet ceiling, wall, floor, rug and piece of furniture. Video with a spoken description works too. Do not throw anything away until the insurer says so, and keep the cut-out piece of pipe after the repair; it shows whether the pipe froze, corroded or failed at a fitting. **Move water and belongings.** Lift rugs, pull furniture away from walls, and put foil or blocks under furniture legs on wet carpet. Mop or wet-vacuum standing water. Move books, papers and electronics somewhere dry. **Call the insurer.** Many homeowners policies treat a sudden burst differently from damage that built up slowly, and some require prompt notice. Read the policy or ask the insurer before agreeing to large repairs. The [guide to homeowners insurance and repiping](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/homeowners-insurance-repiping/) explains the sudden-versus-gradual line and what documentation helps. ## The first day: the repair A burst is repaired by cutting out the split section and replacing it, in copper, PEX or the material that fits the run, joined with fittings listed for that pipe. The repaired line is put back under pressure and watched for leaks before the wall or ceiling is closed. Where the burst happened because the pipe runs in an exterior wall, an unheated crawlspace or an overhang, the repair is also the moment to ask whether the line should move. New pipe in the same cold spot can freeze again; a different material alone does not remove the freeze exposure. If the pipe that burst is old [galvanized](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/galvanized-pipe-replacement/) or copper that has already had [pinhole leaks](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/copper-pinhole-leaks/), a single repair may not be the end. The [repipe vs repair guide](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/repipe-vs-repair/) covers how to tell, and [pipe repair](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/pipe-repair/) covers the one-off fix. ## The first week: drying out Water that soaks into a wall cavity, a subfloor or ceiling insulation does not dry on its own as quickly as the surface does. Drywall that got wet may need to be cut back to let the cavity dry, wet insulation usually comes out, and hardwood floors can cup if they are closed in wet. Fans and a dehumidifier help; a moisture meter shows when materials are actually dry rather than just dry to the touch. Mold grows where materials stay damp, so walls should not be closed or refinished until readings say they are dry. Plaster walls in older houses behave differently from drywall. Plaster tolerates some water but can lose its bond to the lath behind it; a bulge or a hollow sound when tapped is a sign of that. Who repairs the walls and ceilings is worth settling early with the insurer. ## After the water is back on Open the main slowly. Watch the repair and the visible pipe for drips. Run each faucet until the air sputters out, starting with the one nearest the main. Turn the water heater back on only once the tank is full, which matters most for an electric heater. ## Preventing the next one in a Columbus winter Columbus spends a long time below freezing. NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals for the airport show 103.2 nights a year at or below 32F, 27.6 days when the temperature stays at or below freezing all day, about 10 nights at or below 10F and a couple at or below zero. Pipes freeze when the space around them stays cold for hours, so the risk is highest during long cold spells, power or furnace outages, and when a house is left with the heat turned low. - **Know where your cold pipes are.** Exterior walls, kitchen sink lines under windows, lines over an unheated garage, crawlspace runs and hose bibb lines through the rim joist freeze first. The County Auditor’s records show 16.4% of Columbus homes with some crawlspace. - **Shut off and drain hose bibbs** before the first hard freeze, and disconnect garden hoses so the water in the faucet can drain. - **Keep heat on when away**, open sink cabinet doors on exterior walls during a cold snap, and let a faucet drip on lines that have frozen before. - **Seal air leaks** at the rim joist and around pipes that pass through exterior walls. - **Reroute lines that keep freezing.** A line moved into a heated wall solves the problem more reliably than one replaced in the same place. The [freezing pipes in a Columbus winter](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/blog/freezing-pipes-columbus-winter/) article goes into the seasonal checklist, and the [guide to whether PEX is safe](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/is-pex-safe/) covers how different pipe materials handle a freeze. ## Questions about this guide ### What should I photograph after a pipe bursts for an insurance claim? The split in the pipe itself, close up and from a distance so the location is clear, then every wet ceiling, wall, floor and damaged item before anything is moved or thrown away. Keep the cut-out piece of pipe if the repair produces one, and keep receipts for fans, dehumidifiers and any lodging. ### How long does a house take to dry after a burst pipe? It depends on how much water got into walls, ceilings and floors, and what they are made of. Surfaces can feel dry within days while the inside of a wall cavity or subfloor stays wet longer. Moisture readings, not touch, are what show when it is safe to close or refinish. ### Can I turn the water back on after a burst pipe is fixed? Yes, slowly, once the repair is done and every faucet that was opened is closed again. Open the main a little at a time, watch the repaired spot and the rest of the visible pipe for drips, and only then turn the water heater back on. ### Is a pipe that froze but did not burst safe to keep using? Often, but check it. A frozen pipe can split without leaking until it thaws, so watch the line and the ceiling or wall below it for several hours after the water is moving again. If any section froze more than once, it is worth asking whether it should be rerouted away from the cold. ## Related service ### Burst pipe repair Frozen and split supply pipe repaired back to sound pipe, with the run that froze rerouted, insulated or protected so the next cold snap does not split it again. ## More guides - Learn [Does homeowners insurance cover repiping?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/homeowners-insurance-repiping/)How policies usually separate sudden water damage from wear and slow leaks, why replacing old pipe is treated as maintenance, what to photograph and keep after a leak, and where to take a question about your own policy. - Learn [What causes pinhole leaks in copper pipes?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/copper-pinhole-leaks/)Copper pinholes have several causes, and no single one explains every house. What matters is reading the pattern: where the leaks are, how many, and what the pipe looks like inside. - Learn [Is PEX safe for drinking water?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/is-pex-safe/)PEX sold for drinking water is tested and listed for it. Listing is not the end of the story, though: product choice, sunlight, chlorine exposure, fittings and installation decide how a PEX system behaves over time. - Decision Guide [Repipe vs repair: which does your house need?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/repipe-vs-repair/)Three honest answers exist for old water pipe: fix the leak, replace the worst section, or replace the system. The leak history, the pipe material and what is planned for the house decide which one fits. - Learn [How do you identify lead pipes and other pipe materials?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/how-to-identify-pipe-material/)A refrigerator magnet, a coin and a flashlight answer most of the question. This guide shows what each pipe looks like, how to check safely, where Columbus's map helps, and what each material means for the house.