A burst pipe can dump 100+ gallons of water into your home in under 30 minutes. After Texas Winter Storm Uri in 2021, plumbers across Central Texas saw the same painful pattern over and over: homeowners who knew where the main water shutoff was had a $2,000 problem; homeowners who did not had a $40,000 problem. Here is exactly what to do in the next 10 minutes if you are dealing with a burst pipe right now, and what to know before the next freeze.
Right Now — In Order, Fast
### Step 1: Shut Off the Water at the Main Valve
This is the single most important thing you will do today. Stop adding water to the leak.
Where the main shutoff is in most Central Texas homes:
- Front exterior wall, near the foundation (most common in slab-on-grade homes built since 1980)
- In a meter box at the curb (look for a green or black plastic lid in the front yard near the street)
- In the garage (less common, but check there if no exterior valve is visible)
- In a utility closet or basement (rare in Texas — basements are uncommon)
Look for a brass valve with a lever or a round knob. Lever-type valves are turned 90° (perpendicular to the pipe = closed). Round knobs are turned fully clockwise to close.
If your shutoff is in a meter box at the curb, you may need a meter key (long T-shaped tool) to operate it. They cost about $15 at any hardware store. If you do not have one, use channel-lock pliers — turn the rectangular nut on the meter clockwise until water stops.
### Step 2: Shut Off the Water Heater Power
If the burst is on the hot water side (or if you do not know yet), the water heater will keep heating an empty tank as the water drains, which damages the heating elements or cracks the tank.
Gas water heater: Turn the gas control valve to OFF (it is on the bottom front of the tank).
Electric water heater: Flip the breaker labeled "water heater" in your electrical panel.
### Step 3: Open Faucets to Drain the System
After the main is shut off, open every faucet in the house — hot and cold sides. This drains the water already in the pipes so it does not continue leaking from the burst.
Start with the highest faucets in the house (upper floor or attic if you have a multi-story home), then work down.
### Step 4: Cut the Power to Affected Rooms
If water is near outlets, light fixtures, or electrical wiring, shut off power to those areas at the breaker panel. Do not enter standing water if you suspect it is in contact with energized wiring.
### Step 5: Document for Insurance
Take photos and video of the burst location, the water damage, and any damaged belongings before you start cleanup. Your homeowner's insurance will need this. Most policies cover sudden pipe bursts but require documentation.
Now you have a controlled situation and can call a plumber.
Why Pipes Burst (And Why Texas Gets Hit Hard)
Freezing. Water expands roughly 9% when it freezes. In a sealed pipe, that expansion creates pressures up to 40,000 PSI — far beyond what copper, PEX, or PVC can hold. The break usually happens between the ice plug and a closed faucet, where pressure has nowhere to release.
Why Texas is uniquely vulnerable: Most Texas homes are built without freeze protection because freezes are infrequent. Pipes run through unconditioned attics. Exterior wall plumbing is common. There is no insulation around supply lines in places where it is standard further north. When a 5-day freeze hits — like 2021 — the cumulative cold soaks through walls and freezes pipes that have never frozen in 50 years.
Other causes of bursts: Corroded galvanized pipe (homes built pre-1970), severe water hammer, a frozen pipe defrosted incorrectly, or a vehicle striking an exterior wall.
What Repair Actually Costs
Single-point repair (one accessible burst): $400–$900. Plumber cuts out the damaged section, splices in new pipe, pressure tests, and patches the wall. Same-day service.
Multiple bursts (after a hard freeze): $1,500–$5,000+. Common after Uri-scale events. Each burst needs to be located and repaired individually. Pricing scales with burst count.
Repipe of damaged section (when many sections of pipe were stressed): $2,500–$8,000. Replacing all the supply piping in one wall, room, or zone.
Whole-house repipe (after older galvanized pipe failure or extensive freeze damage): $4,000–$15,000 depending on home size. PEX is the standard replacement material in Texas now — flexible, freeze-tolerant, and code-compliant.
Drywall and flooring restoration: Separate from plumbing repair, billed by a remediation contractor. $2,000–$20,000+ depending on extent. Most homeowner's policies cover this minus deductible.
What to Do Before the Next Texas Freeze
If your home was built without freeze protection (most Texas homes were), here are the cheap preventive moves:
Insulate exposed pipes in the attic and exterior walls. Pipe insulation is $1–$3 per foot at any hardware store. Focus on lines that run along exterior walls or through unconditioned attics.
Disconnect garden hoses before winter. A connected hose holds water in the bib and the line behind it freezes first.
Install hose bib covers. $5 each. Slip over outdoor faucets and they stop the freeze from working its way back into the wall.
Know where your main shutoff is. Practice operating it once before there is an emergency.
Drip faucets during hard freezes. Open both hot and cold sides on the most exposed faucets in the house — usually a kitchen sink on an exterior wall or a bathroom on the north side. Keep them dripping until the temperature is back above 32°F. Moving water freezes much later than still water.
Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls. Lets warm room air reach the pipes.
Set thermostat to 65°F or higher when leaving the house in winter. Do not turn the heat off when you travel during cold weather.
When to Call Us
Burst pipe service across Central Texas — Pflugerville, Bastrop, Taylor, Elgin, Georgetown, Hutto, Manor, Cameron, Rockdale, Brenham, and our full service area. Same-day emergency dispatch on burst pipes. Call (737) 260-7255. Texas license M-37654. Flat-rate pricing on every plumbing emergency. We document repairs for your insurance claim.