What should I do after a pipe bursts?

A supply line carries pressurized water, so a burst is not a slow drip. A failed pipe can push gallons of water per minute into walls, ceilings, and floors, and the hidden damage often exceeds the visible flood. Water runs down inside wall cavities and spreads across subfloors before it ever appears on the surface.

That is why the response is shut off the source first, then extract and dry fast. Every minute the line stays open adds volume to the loss.

Locate the main water shutoff, usually where the supply enters the house, and close it. For a toilet or appliance line, use the fixture's own shutoff valve. If the floor is dry enough to do it safely, turn off power to the affected zone; if the area is wet, leave the power on and stay clear.

Open a faucet at the lowest or highest point to relieve pressure and drain the line, move valuables away from the water path, and photograph the damage before clean-up begins.

The crew extracts the standing water, then traces where the water traveled, not just where it pooled. Wall cavities, subfloors, and insulation that absorbed water are dried or removed based on moisture readings, and the drying job is monitored until the structure reaches a dry standard.

The category of water matters here too: supply-line water from a burst pipe is typically clean, Category 1 water, which is good news for what can be saved compared with sewage or floodwater.