Water Flowing Right Now? Start Here.
Pipe Burst Repair
Every minute matters once a pipe has burst. Shut off your main water valve if you can reach it safely, then call.
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A pipe just burst — what do I do first?
Turn off the main water valve (in most NYC apartments it's under the kitchen sink or in a utility closet; in houses it's where the water line enters, usually in the basement). If water is near outlets or a panel, stay clear unless you can reach the breaker without stepping in water. Then call, and say whether the water is still flowing.
If a pipe has burst in your home or building right now, the order of operations is simple: stop the water at the source, then get a plumber moving. Everything else — figuring out why it happened, assessing the damage, planning repairs — comes after the flow is stopped.
Below: what to do in the next five minutes, and what the repair looks like once a plumber is on site. If the leak is slow and you can't see where it starts, Urgent Water Leak Repair is the better guide; if the pipe is dripping or corroded rather than spraying, see fixing a leaking pipe.
Do This Right Now
- Locate and shut off your main water valve. In most NYC apartments this is under the kitchen sink or in a utility closet; in houses it's typically near where the water line enters the building — in a Queens or Staten Island house, usually on the street-facing basement wall next to the water meter.
- If you can't find or safely reach the main valve, look for a local shutoff at the specific fixture or line involved — closing that may be enough to stop the flow.
- Cut power to any electrical outlets or fixtures in the affected area if it's safe to reach the breaker without stepping through standing water. If it's not safe, leave it alone and stay clear of that area.
- Move furniture, electronics, and anything valuable away from the water as quickly as you reasonably can.
- Call and describe exactly what's happening — how much water, where it's coming from, and whether it's still flowing.
What Not To Do After a Pipe Bursts
- Don't turn the water back on to "test" it. A pipe that split once will split again under pressure.
- Don't use a hair dryer, heat gun, or space heater on wet walls or near standing water.
- Don't wrap tape around a split pipe and call it fixed. Tape can slow a pinhole drip for a few minutes; it won't hold a burst line under building pressure.
- Don't start tearing out wet drywall or flooring before photographing it. Document first, clean up second.
- If the burst is in a shared riser or a unit above you, don't try to reach another apartment's valves. Get the super or management involved.
If the Pipe Is Frozen but Hasn't Burst Yet
If a faucet only trickles during a freeze, the pipe may be frozen rather than burst — and it can split when it thaws. Thawing it safely now costs far less than a burst later. Frozen Pipe Help & Repair has the step-by-step thawing guide and what never to use.
Why Pipes Burst
Freeze-thaw cycles
Water expands as it freezes. A pipe that freezes in an exterior wall or unheated space can crack silently, then burst once it thaws and pressure returns. Catch it frozen with Frozen Pipe Help & Repair.
Age and corrosion
A pipe weakened by years of internal corrosion can fail suddenly under normal pressure, especially at joints and fittings.
Sudden pressure spikes
A water hammer event or a building-wide pressure surge can be the final stress that breaks an already-weakened section of pipe.
Physical damage
Pipes nicked or stressed during unrelated renovation work sometimes fail well after the work is finished, not during it.
The Emergency Repair Process
Confirm the water is fully shut off
Your plumber verifies the main or local shutoff is doing its job before anything else happens.
Locate the exact failure point
This sometimes means opening a small section of wall or ceiling to see the pipe directly, especially if the burst is hidden.
Repair or replace the failed section
A clean break in accessible pipe is often a same-visit repair. More extensive damage may require a larger section replacement, explained before work proceeds.
Pressure-test before closing everything back up
Before any wall or ceiling is closed up, the repair is tested under normal water pressure to confirm it's holding.
After the Water Is Off
Once the immediate flow is stopped, the next few hours matter almost as much as the first few minutes. Standing water left on hardwood or engineered flooring can cause warping within a day. Wet drywall and insulation, if left alone, become a mold risk within roughly 24 to 48 hours in a warm building.
If you have a wet/dry shop vacuum and fans, using them to move air and pull up standing water while you wait for the plumber can meaningfully reduce secondary damage — but this is about managing the aftermath, not a substitute for professional water damage remediation if the flooding was extensive.
What Affects the Cost of a Burst Pipe Repair
- Where the break is
- Exposed pipe in a basement is a quicker repair than a break inside a finished wall or ceiling that has to be opened and then left ready to close.
- Pipe material
- Copper, galvanized steel, cast iron, and PEX are repaired differently. Old galvanized pipe sometimes can't be joined cleanly to new pipe without replacing more of the run.
- How much pipe is damaged
- One clean split is a section repair. A freeze that cracked several joints, or corrosion along the whole run, is a larger job.
- Shutoff and access
- If the building riser has to be shut down or a super has to open a mechanical room, that coordination is part of the visit.
- When you call
- Overnight, weekend, and holiday dispatch is typically priced differently from a weekday visit.
Documenting the Damage
Before cleanup begins, it's worth taking photos and video of the affected area — the water damage itself, and anything it damaged. This is standard, general advice worth following regardless of whether you plan to file an insurance claim; it's much easier to document damage in the moment than to reconstruct it later.
This is general guidance, not insurance advice — for anything claim-specific, your insurance provider or agent is the right resource.
Frequently Asked Questions
Call immediately. Dispatch can help you think through likely locations based on your building type, and a plumber can locate and close it on arrival if you're unable to.
Avoid standing water near any electrical outlets, panels, or fixtures. If there's any doubt about electrical safety, stay out of that area entirely until it's been assessed.
A straightforward, accessible break can often be repaired the same visit. Damage hidden behind walls or affecting a longer section may take longer to fully resolve — your plumber will give you a clear picture once the pipe is exposed.
If the burst is inside a wall or ceiling cavity, yes — there's no way to properly repair or verify the fix otherwise. Your plumber will explain what's involved before opening anything.
Most often freezing, age-related corrosion, a sudden pressure spike, or physical damage from unrelated work. Your plumber can usually identify the likely cause once the pipe is exposed.
Stopping the water and getting the pipe repaired comes first — that limits ongoing damage. Documenting everything with photos before cleanup will help regardless of when you contact your insurer.
Roughly 24 to 48 hours in a warm, humid environment, though it can be faster. This is part of why getting standing water up quickly, even before the plumber arrives, is worth doing if it's safe to do so.
For minor, contained water exposure, cleanup is often manageable on your own. For significant flooding, especially anything that soaked flooring, drywall, or insulation extensively, a dedicated restoration company is worth considering alongside the plumbing repair itself.
Water is still flowing. Call now.
Shut off the main valve if you can reach it safely, then call — dispatch will guide you through the rest while a plumber is on the way.
Copy the number and the message template above to text us from your phone.