Signs of a burst pipe or hidden pipe leak
- Water spraying or running from a wall, ceiling, cabinet, or the attic access.
- A ceiling with a spreading stain, a bulge, or water dripping from a light fixture or vent.
- The sound of running water when every faucet is off.
- Low or no water pressure at some fixtures during or right after a freeze.
- Wet drywall or carpet along an exterior wall or below a bathroom.
- A water meter that keeps spinning with nothing running.
Frozen pipes often don't leak until they thaw. If a fixture had no water during a hard freeze, watch that area closely as temperatures rise; that's when the split pipe starts spraying.
What to do right now when a pipe bursts
- Close the main shutoff. Many Frisco homes have a house valve in the garage, near the water heater, or in a utility area. If you can't find it, the valve in the meter box near the curb also shuts off water, though it may need a meter key.
- Turn off power to wet areas at the breaker panel if water is coming through ceiling lights or near outlets, and only if you can reach the panel while standing somewhere dry.
- Open a faucet at the lowest point of the house to drain remaining pressure from the lines.
- Stay out from under a bulging ceiling. If a ceiling is ballooning with water, keep people and anything you care about out from under it. A ceiling full of water can collapse.
- Call a plumber for the pipe and us for the water. The pipe repair and the water damage are two separate jobs.
How burst pipe water damage is cleaned up and dried
Pipe water is clean (Category 1) when it first comes out, which is good news: most materials can be dried rather than replaced if work starts quickly. The work usually runs:
- Find every wet area. Pipe leaks in walls and ceilings travel along framing, ductwork, and the top of drywall. Moisture meters and a thermal camera trace the path, including the floor below and rooms on the other side of the wall.
- Extract water from carpet, pad, and hard floors with emergency water extraction equipment.
- Open ceilings and walls where needed. Ceiling drywall that's sagging or holding wet insulation is removed. Wall cavities with wet insulation are opened at the bottom.
- Remove wet attic insulation if the leak was above the ceiling. Wet blown insulation compresses, stays wet, and loses its insulating value.
- Dry the structure with air movers and dehumidifiers and monitor daily.
- Coordinate the pipe repair so walls and ceilings stay open where the plumber needs access, then close up once both the plumbing and the structure are done.
Why pipes freeze and burst in Frisco homes: attic and exterior-wall plumbing
North Texas homes are built for August. In many Frisco two-story houses, water supply lines run through the attic to second-floor bathrooms, and water heaters sit in attic platforms or garages. Some lines also run inside exterior walls and garage walls. Those spaces are only lightly insulated and can drop close to outdoor temperatures during a hard freeze.
Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 showed what happens. DFW Airport fell below zero, power was out across the region for long stretches, and attic and exterior-wall pipes split in homes throughout Collin and Denton counties. Many of those leaks were discovered only after the thaw, often as water pouring through second-floor and first-floor ceilings at the same time.
Practical steps before a hard freeze in Frisco: open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls, let faucets on the second floor drip, keep the heat on, disconnect garden hoses, and know where your main shutoff is before you need it.
Common causes of burst pipes without a freeze
Most burst pipe calls in Frisco aren't freeze-related. Common causes year-round:
- Braided supply lines to toilets, faucets, and ice makers that crack or burst at the crimp.
- Washing machine hoses, especially original rubber hoses.
- Water heater supply connections and relief valve lines in attics.
- PEX fittings or crimp rings that were improperly installed.
- High water pressure, which strains every line and fitting in the house. A pressure-reducing valve that has failed lets pressure climb.
- Nails or screws driven into a pipe during a remodel or when hanging something on a wall, which can leak slowly for months.
Burst pipe water damage cost: what changes the price
- How long the pipe ran before it was shut off, and how far the water traveled.
- Whether the leak was above a ceiling, which can mean ceiling drywall, insulation, and two floors of damage.
- The flooring involved: carpet, tile, laminate, or wood.
- Amount of drywall, insulation, and baseboard removed.
- Number of drying days and pieces of equipment.
- Freeze events: regional demand during a storm can extend timelines for both plumbers and materials.
- Repairs after drying, which are separate from the plumbing repair.
When a burst pipe needs emergency service
A burst pipe is an emergency any time water is still flowing, water is coming through a ceiling, a ceiling is sagging, or water is near electrical fixtures. Even after the main is shut off, a soaked ceiling and walls should be addressed the same day; wet ceiling drywall and attic insulation can fail and fall, and the clean water starts to degrade quickly in a warm house.
After the cleanup: plumbing repair and drying checks
Keep the water main off until the plumber has repaired the line, and make sure the plumber checks for other split sections, since a freeze rarely damages just one spot. Keep drying equipment running, and expect some ceiling and wall openings to stay open until the final readings come in. If water reached wood floors, read about hardwood floor water damage, because wood needs its own drying approach.
For a broader look at how we handle water damage repair in Frisco, including insurance documentation, see our main page.
Burst & frozen pipe water damage FAQs
Do you fix the pipe too?
The pipe repair is plumbing work, done by a licensed plumber. We handle the water damage: extraction, removal of wet materials, drying, and cleanup. We'll keep walls or ceilings open where the plumber needs access.
Is burst pipe damage covered by insurance?
Sudden pipe bursts are commonly covered by homeowners policies, while the pipe repair itself may not be. Damage from a slow leak over time is often excluded. Policies differ, so check with your insurer and document everything with photos before cleanup.
Why did my ceiling leak when the pipe broke upstairs?
Water follows gravity and framing. A leak in a second-floor bathroom or attic line runs across the top of the ceiling drywall below and comes out at the lowest point, often a light fixture or seam, which may be some distance from the actual break.
Should I turn off my water heater after a pipe bursts?
If you shut off the main and the water heater will be without water for a while, turn a gas water heater to "pilot" or turn off the breaker for an electric unit. Running an electric heater with no water can damage the elements.