A burst pipe is urgent as long as water is flowing. Shut the main, open the faucet at the house's low point, stay away from anything electrical, and photograph the damage. With the water stopped, the repair can be booked as an emergency or for the next day, depending on how much is wet. Our guide to leaks and burst pipes has the wider picture. To request a plumber now, use the quote form.
How urgent is a burst pipe?
Very, for as long as water is moving, since a full-bore leak can dump hundreds of gallons indoors within an hour and wreck floors and drywall. With the main closed and the line drained, it falls to urgent but manageable. Phone at once if water reaches electrical equipment, a ceiling sags, or the flow will not stop.
Sorting by severity:
- Water still flowing after you shut the main. Emergency. Either the valve failed or the leak sits on the street side. Ring the utility; in Burbank, the after-hours number for Burbank Water and Power is (818) 238-3778.
- Water off, but a room is soaked. Drying the same day matters more than when the plumber arrives. The EPA says wet areas and items need to be dried inside two days at most to head off mold.
- Water off, damage small, pipe accessible. Book the earliest slot. A middle-of-the-night surcharge is not necessary.
- Sewage or gray water. Handle it as contamination, keep people and pets away, and bring in a plumber and a cleanup professional.
- Gas smell. Get out, phone 1-800-427-2200 for SoCalGas from outdoors, and ring 911 if someone is at risk.
A local plumber is lined up to visit you. Who is free depends on the hour and the day, and we promise no arrival time. Mark the form as an emergency and leave a number you will pick up.
What do you do in the first ten minutes?
Close the main valve, which is typically toward the front of the property, at the meter box or beside the water heater. Run the lowest faucet to empty the line. Cut power to the wet zone only when the panel is dry and reachable. Move valuables and take pictures before mopping.
When the main is missing or will not turn, the water utility can close it at the meter. Do not lean on a stuck valve so hard it snaps, because that turns a small problem into a big one.
If the house has lost its water supply, switch the water heater off too (gas to pilot or off, electric breaker off), since heating an empty tank can damage it. After that, begin clearing standing water. The full sequence appears in our page about what to do with a burst water pipe, and the days afterward are in burst pipe water damage.
The best preparation is knowing where your valve is before trouble starts. Locate it today and tag it.
What happens when a pipe bursts, and why?
Pressurized water pours out of a split, a failed joint or a corroded stretch and floods the space until the supply is closed. Around here the usual culprits are corrosion and age, pressure spikes, a failed fitting, or a break from settling or ground movement. Freezing is a rarer cause.
Our guides on why pipes burst and spotting a burst pipe cover causes and signs. Typical signs: pressure that falls suddenly, a hiss or rush behind a wall, a spreading ceiling stain, and a meter that turns while every fixture is closed.
The location changes the response. A burst inside a bathroom wall means opening drywall, while a break in a garage or attic is often easier to get to. In an apartment or condo, close your own unit's valve where one exists and notify building management right away, because water drains toward the units beneath. Few Valley homes have basements, though a sunken room or below-grade garage can fill fast.
At what temperature will pipes burst?
Freezing bursts a pipe once the water inside stays cold enough, long enough, to turn to ice and expand. That calls for sustained cold, typically overnight or longer, in an unheated area. Hard freezes seldom reach the Burbank valley floor. We found no single official temperature to cite, so we give none.
Likely spots: unheated garages, outdoor hose bibs, attics, and foothill homes on a cold night. A pipe frozen solid has not always split. It can crack as it thaws, so close the water and watch for leaks while the ice melts. Our page on whether PEX freezes and bursts covers that material.
Before winter storms, cover exposed hose bibs and insulate pipes in unheated spaces. Read burst pipe prevention.
How expensive is it to fix a burst pipe?
Fixr's published guide lists a typical burst pipe repair at $200 to $1,000, averaging near $500, with hard-to-reach jobs climbing to about $2,000. An emergency call may add a fee. Water damage afterward averages $1,200 to $5,000 in that guide, so cleanup frequently outweighs the pipe.
These are national guides. The real price for your home appears on the written quote. Costs climb with difficult access (behind a wall, above a ceiling or under a slab), the pipe length to replace, the material, and after-hours timing. Expensive? Less so the sooner the water stops. A burst caught within minutes may need just a repair visit, whereas one left overnight can grow into a restoration project.
Fixr adds that some plumbers bill a flat rate and others bill hourly, from about $45 to $200. Ask which applies. Plumber leak repair cost and slab leak repair cost show how quotes are assembled.
Who pays for a burst water pipe?
Whoever owns the pipe pays. In a house, that is you, from the meter to the fixtures, and your insurance may cover resulting damage. The water utility covers its own main. A landlord covers repairs in a rental. In a condo or apartment building, who owns shared pipes depends on the association's rules.
Contact your insurer once the water is off. Policies usually expect you to limit the loss, and they often pay for sudden damage but not the pipe itself. We cannot say what yours covers. Read the water damage section, save receipts, and keep the plumber's written note on what failed. For more, see burst pipe insurance coverage.
Renters should notify the landlord in writing and ask their own policy about belongings.
How do you ask us to arrange an emergency plumber?
Fill in the quote form, flag it as an emergency, say where the water originates and whether the main is closed, and leave a number you will answer. We send a local plumber your way anywhere in Burbank and the Valley, and a written quote arrives before the work starts.
Look up the plumber's license in the state licensing board's online search before work starts. For nearby areas, see Glendale, North Hollywood and Van Nuys. For a wider look at emergency options, read plumber near me for emergencies. The Lankershim Plumbing home page has everything else.
Questions people ask
Is a do-it-yourself burst pipe fix realistic?
You can stop the water, empty the line and fit a temporary clamp. A lasting repair on a short, reachable copper or PEX section is possible with the correct coupling, but not inside a wall or slab, on the main, near gas, or where a permit applies. If unsure, close the water and wait for a plumber.
How long does a burst pipe keep leaking after shutoff?
With the main closed, the leak ends apart from whatever water sits in the pipes above the break, which runs out in a few minutes. Opening the lowest faucet speeds that along. Water that keeps coming after the main is shut means the valve failed or the source is on the street side. Ring the utility.
Emergency call tonight or a visit in the morning?
Water still running, or a ceiling, panel or appliance involved? Call now. If the water is off, damage is minor and the pipe is reachable, a regular visit can wait and often costs less. Dry the area meanwhile and take photos.
References
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