Split copper pipe in a wall opening spraying water in a fan down the drywall

What to Do When a Pipe Bursts: Step by Step

Water is pouring out of a wall, a ceiling or a fitting under the sink, and it is not stopping.

A burst supply line is one of the faster-moving causes of water damage in a home, and the first ten minutes decide how much of the house gets wet.

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Answered daily7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pacific

Huntington Beach areaPlus 20 nearby cities

In short

When a pipe bursts, shut off the water at the main valve first, then switch off power to any wet room at the breaker, then start moving water and belongings. Photograph everything as you go. Call a restoration contractor and your insurer once the water has stopped.

What do you do first when a pipe bursts?

Stop the water, make the area safe, then limit the spread, in that order.

The first hour, step by step:

Shut off the main water valve. Finding the valve is covered in the next section.
Turn off the water heater if the burst is on a hot-water line or the heater is in the wet area. Gas heaters go to "pilot" or "off"; electric heaters go off at the breaker.
Cut power to wet rooms at the breaker panel if water is near outlets, appliances or the panel itself. If the panel is standing in water, do not touch it. Leave the house and call the utility.
Open the lowest faucet in the house and an outdoor hose bib to drain pressure from the lines. This stops the last of the water dribbling out of the break.
Find the break if you have not already. Look for the wettest wall or ceiling, and check under sinks, behind the washer and around the water heater.
Catch what you can. Put a bucket under a dripping ceiling. If a ceiling is bulging with water, poke a small hole at the lowest point of the bulge and let it drain into a bucket, before the drywall collapses.
Move belongings out of the wet area. Put foil or plastic under furniture legs you cannot move.
Get standing water up. Towels, a mop, or a wet-vac. Do not use a household vacuum.
Photograph the break, the meter reading and every wet room before and after you clean up.
Call a restoration contractor, then your insurer. The EPA advises drying water-damaged areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, and that window is already running.

Everything on that list is safe to do yourself. The line is water inside walls, under flooring or in a ceiling cavity. Household fans dry surfaces, not wet framing or a subfloor. If more than a small patch of floor is wet, or any drywall is wet, you need moisture readings and commercial drying equipment. What to do after water damage covers the days that follow.

Hand turning the main water shut-off valve on a pipe at the front of a house beside the hose bib

How do you turn off the water?

Close the main shutoff valve, which in most single-family homes is on an outside wall facing the street, in the garage, or in a box near the curb.

Location	What it looks like	How to close it
Outside wall nearest the street, often by a hose bib	A lever handle (ball valve) or a round wheel (gate valve) on the pipe entering the house	Lever: a quarter turn so it sits across the pipe. Wheel: clockwise until it stops
Garage, near the water heater or where the main enters	Same two valve types, sometimes next to a bell-shaped pressure regulator	Same as above
Meter box at the curb or sidewalk	A concrete or plastic lid marked “water”; the valve is on the street side of the meter	Usually needs a meter key or a long adjustable wrench; a quarter turn
Condo or apartment	A valve inside the unit, often under the kitchen sink or in a utility closet	Close it; if there is none, call the HOA or building manager

If the burst is at one fixture, you may not need the main. Every toilet, sink and washing machine has its own angle stop, a small valve where the supply line comes out of the wall. Turn it clockwise to close it.

Before anything bursts, find your main valve, turn it off and on once to make sure it moves, and keep a meter key in the garage.

If the break is in the street or at the meter itself, it is the city's pipe. The City of Huntington Beach says to call the Police Department at (714) 960-8825 for water main breaks or loss of service after hours, and the Utilities Division at (714) 536-5921 during business hours.

What happens when a pipe bursts under the house?

A pipe that bursts under a concrete slab does not flood the house; it soaks the soil and the slab, and you see the water only when the floor turns warm, damp or lifted.

The pattern is different from a burst in a wall:

No gush

The first sign is often a water bill, a warm spot on tile, or the sound of running water with everything off.

Slower to find, longer to dry

Concrete holds water and releases it slowly, so a slab and the flooring on it take longer to dry than a wall opened the morning it got wet.

Two trades

A plumber or leak-detection specialist locates the line and repairs, reroutes or repipes it. A restoration contractor dries the slab and floors.

If you suspect a leak under the slab rather than a burst you can see, run the water meter test before calling anyone. The EPA WaterSense program's advice is to check the meter before and after a two-hour period with no water in use; if the reading changes, something is leaking. Our slab leak guide walks through the signs and the repair options.

What causes pipes to burst in Southern California?

Most burst pipes here come from age and corrosion, not freezing.

The usual causes, roughly in order:

Corroded pipe. Copper thins from the inside until a pinhole opens; galvanized steel rusts until it splits. Homes still running their original 1960s and 1970s supply lines are the most exposed.
Failed flexible connectors and hoses. The braided or rubber lines under sinks, behind toilets, at the water heater and behind the washing machine are the most common single point of failure. They are under full pressure and they age in the open.
High water pressure. Pressure above the normal household range stresses every joint and hose. A regulator on the main line protects the whole house, and regulators wear out too.
Water hammer. The bang when a washer valve slams shut is a pressure spike, and repeated spikes loosen joints.
Damage during work. A nail through a line during a remodel can weep for months before it lets go.

Freezing is rare on the coast. The fix for most of the causes above is plain maintenance: replace rubber washer hoses with braided steel ones, check under-sink connectors for green crust or damp, and test the house pressure with a gauge on a hose bib.

What this means in Huntington Beach

Much of Huntington Beach was built in the two decades when the pipes now failing were installed. Census ACS estimates put the city's median year built at 1974. In the 92647 zip, about 68 percent of housing units were built between 1960 and 1979, and in 92646 it is about 78 percent.

The city side of the system is aging as well. The city's 2023 Water Master Plan reports about 610 miles of water pipe, 76 percent of it asbestos cement, most of it 45 to 55 years old, with a program to replace about 200 miles over 20 years. A break on the street side of the meter is the city's to fix; anything on the house side is yours.

One-story Huntington Beach stucco house with a two-car garage and a palm tree at dusk

When to call a contractor

Call as soon as the water is off and you can see that more than a small area of floor, any drywall or any cabinet base is wet. HB Water Damage is an independent referral service, contractor-neutral, and your call is answered and connected to an independent restoration contractor who covers Huntington Beach. What the drying work involves, and how insurance treats a sudden failure, is on the burst pipe water damage page.

Water in your home right now? Call and get connected to an independent restoration contractor who covers your street.

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Questions homeowners ask about burst pipes

Does insurance cover a burst pipe?

The California Department of Insurance guide lists sudden and accidental water damage among perils typically covered, and seepage or leaks among those generally not. The resulting damage is usually covered; the pipe repair often is not. See our insurance guide.

Should I turn off the electricity when a pipe bursts?

Cut power at the breaker to any room with water near outlets, appliances or wiring. If the panel itself is wet or standing in water, do not touch it; leave the house and call the electric utility.

Can I dry a burst pipe leak myself with fans?

Fans dry the surface of a floor or wall, not the framing, insulation or subfloor behind it. A small spill on tile is fine to mop and fan. Wet drywall, wet carpet pad or water that reached a wall cavity needs moisture readings and commercial drying equipment.

Who do I call first, a plumber or a restoration company?

Once the main is off, call the restoration contractor first so drying starts within the 24 to 48 hour window, then the plumber to repair the line, then your insurer.

What should I save after a burst pipe?

Keep the failed pipe, hose or fitting. Your insurer may want to see it, and it tells the plumber whether the rest of the plumbing is likely to fail the same way. Our guide to what can be saved after water damage covers belongings and materials.

Last reviewed October 1, 2026.

Water spreading across a kitchen floor from under the sink at night with a phone on the counter

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