Split water pipe leaking inside an open wall

Burst and frozen pipe water damage in Hurst, TX

A supply line that lets go puts out more water in an hour than most people expect. Shut it off, then call.

First, the water

Shut the water off at the meter, or at the main shut-off if you know where it is.

Kill the power to any room where water is near outlets or an electrical panel — but only if you can reach the breaker without standing in water. If you can't, stay out of that room.

Open a faucet at the lowest point in the house to drain what's left in the lines.

Don't wait for the drip to stop before calling. Water spreads while the source is being dealt with.

Why pipes freeze here

North Texas houses aren't built for cold the way northern ones are. Supply lines run through attics and garages, where nothing stops the temperature from matching the air outside. A few hours below freezing doesn't do much. A stretch of days does.

The February 2021 freeze made the point statewide: pipes burst across Texas, water pressure fell, and boil water advisories went out in many counties. NOAA recorded it as the coldest winter storm to hit the state since December 1989.

Before a forecast freeze: drain and disconnect garden hoses, cover outside faucets, open sink cabinets on exterior walls, let a faucet trickle overnight, and make sure you can find the meter and open it in the dark. If the power goes out and the house is dropping below freezing, shut the water off at the meter before the pipes do it for you.

After a hard freeze, check these

Most freeze damage isn't found while it's cold. Ice holds a split closed; the water arrives when the line thaws — sometimes days later, sometimes while the house is empty. Once temperatures climb back above freezing:

Check the water meter with every faucet and appliance off — if it moves, water is going somewhere
Look at ceilings below the attic for new stains, bubbles or sag
Check the garage wall behind the water heater and along any exposed line
Look at the inside of walls behind exterior faucets
Open sink cabinets on exterior walls and feel the floor of the cabinet
Listen with the house quiet for water running where nothing's on
If the house was empty through the freeze, go room by room before assuming anything — two days of water in a wall cavity is a different repair from two hours

What the drying involves

Extraction first, while the water is still standing. Then drywall gets cut back far enough to reach wet framing and insulation — a wet wall cavity doesn't dry from the outside. Wet insulation comes out; it doesn't recover.

Air movers and dehumidifiers run until meter readings say the framing and subfloor are back to normal, usually days rather than hours. Cabinets and flooring are assessed once the structure is dry, not before.

FAQ

A pipe burst while we were out and water's been running. What's the first thing to do?

Shut off the water at the meter before anything else, then keep out of any room where water is near outlets. Once it's off, call — the drying clock started when the water did, and materials that sat overnight need different handling from a spill caught early.

Can I just dry it out with fans and a dehumidifier?

For a small, clean spill caught quickly, sometimes. The problem is what you can't reach: water inside a wall cavity, under a cabinet, or in the pad beneath carpet. Household fans dry surfaces, which makes a wet wall look fixed while the framing behind it stays wet.

Do you repair the pipe itself?

No. A plumber repairs the pipe. This number reaches restoration companies for what the water did — extraction, drying, and replacing the drywall, insulation and flooring that can't be saved.

Our water heater let go and flooded the garage. Is that the same job?

Yes. A failed tank puts out a large volume at once and it usually runs across a slab into adjoining rooms and wall bases. The cleanup and drying are the same work; the tank itself is a plumber's replacement.

Pipe burst?

Shut the water off, then call (817) 989-2837. Licensed and insured restoration pros across Hurst, any hour. Free call, no obligation.

Call (817) 989-2837