Go to your main shutoff valve and turn it clockwise until it stops. Then open the lowest faucet in the house to drain what is left in the lines. Call (855) 575-2890 next, since our emergency line answers all night and on weekends. If water is touching outlets, the breaker panel or a light fixture, stay out of the room and call 911.
When a burst pipe cannot wait until morning
Every second of flow adds to the damage, so a pipe that is actively discharging is an emergency at any hour. Calls that need action tonight:
- Water is spraying, pouring or running down a wall or through a ceiling.
- The main valve will not close, or is stuck partway.
- A pipe in a crawlspace, garage or attic has split, and you can hear it running.
- Pressure has dropped to a trickle after a hard freeze, and a pipe may have cracked while frozen.
- Water is pooling around the water heater or washing machine connections after a sudden failure.
We take night and weekend repair calls, and we offer same-day appointments when available. If you have the water off and the area is safe, a small leak with the valve closed can sometimes wait for a morning visit. Tell us what you are looking at and we will help you decide.
Do this in the first ten minutes
- Shut off the main water valve. If it will not turn, tell us when you call and keep clear of the water.
- Open the lowest faucet and flush the top-floor toilets to relieve pressure.
- Turn off power to affected rooms if you can reach the breaker without standing in water. If you cannot, leave it and call the utility or 911.
- Move valuables, rugs and electronics out of the wet area, and start soaking up standing water with towels.
- Take photos and video of the damage before you clean up.
- Turn off the water heater (the gas valve or the breaker) if the burst is on the hot side, so the tank does not heat while empty.
What actually bursts, and why
Pipes fail in a few common ways, and the cause shapes the fix. Freezing is the best known: water expands as it turns to ice, and the pressure splits the pipe, usually at a weak spot or beside the frozen section.
Corrosion eats thin walls from the inside until a pinhole opens. Joint failures happen where a fitting was badly made, aged out, or pushed by movement. And impact or vibration can crack a line, especially one that is poorly supported.
Pipe material matters as well. Copper can split from freezing or wear through at bends, PEX can crack at fittings or from sunlight exposure, CPVC can turn brittle with age, and galvanized steel corrodes from the inside and restricts flow before it bursts. We look at the pipe and the failure before recommending anything, because a split in one place can mean the rest of the run is on its way out.
| What happened | What it usually means | Typical repair |
|---|---|---|
| Pinhole spraying a fine mist | Corrosion from the inside | Cut out the weak section and splice in new pipe |
| Long split along the pipe | Freeze damage | Replace the split length, check the neighboring runs |
| Fitting or joint dripping hard | Failed joint or loose connection | Remake or replace the fitting |
| Elbow cracked | Stress or brittleness | Replace the elbow and test the adjacent pipe |
| Multiple leaks on one run | Pipe is failing as a whole | Replace the run or look at repiping |
| Fixture shutoff valve burst | Failed supply stop | Replace the stop, which is a fixture job |
How the repair is done
We start by confirming the water is off and the failure is found. Then we cut out the damaged section and replace it with new pipe and fittings that match or suit the existing system. Mixing materials needs the right transition fittings, because copper and steel can corrode where they touch, and the wrong coupling will leak again.
After the repair we pressurize the line, check every joint, and watch the meter to confirm the leak is gone. Repairs often involve opening a wall or ceiling, so we cut access as small as we can. Drywall, paint and flooring afterward are usually separate trades.
If the failure is on a drain, not a pressurized supply, the approach is different. Drain breaks leak only when water flows, so symptoms are intermittent. A camera run can locate the break, and our sewer line repair page covers buried drain failures.
Copper, PEX, CPVC and galvanized: what you can expect
Each material has its own repair profile, and homeowners often ask which one they have. Copper is rigid and metallic, usually with soldered joints, and it repairs cleanly when the surrounding pipe is sound.
PEX is flexible and often red, blue or white, and a damaged section can be replaced with crimp or expansion fittings. CPVC is cream or light yellow and stiff, and it can crack when handled after aging. Galvanized is gray steel with threaded joints and a rough interior.
If you are unsure, take a photo of the pipe near the water heater or main valve and describe it on the phone. We would rather identify the pipe before we arrive than guess when we are standing in a wet room.
Frozen pipes
Pipes in unheated garages, attics, crawlspaces and exterior walls are the ones exposed when a hard freeze reaches central Alabama. If a pipe is frozen but has not burst, open the faucet slightly and warm the area with a hair dryer or space heater placed safely away from anything flammable. Never use an open flame.
If you find a frozen section, shut off the main valve before it thaws, since the split often shows up only when the ice melts and water begins to flow. Call us as soon as you see a wet spot or a drop in pressure.
Burst pipe or just a bad shutoff valve?
Not every flood is a burst pipe. A cracked supply stop under a sink or a failed washing machine hose can look just as dramatic. These are quick fixes, and the shutoff valve under the fixture often stops the flow without touching the main. If you can close the stop and the water stops, you may be dealing with a fixture repair, and our faucet repair page explains what that involves.
Toilets and water heaters have their own supply connections and can fail the same way. The water heater repair page covers tank leaks, and it is a good place to start if the water is coming from the tank itself.
What this means for Helena homes
Helena grew quickly after 1990, when the population was 3,918, to 20,914 by 2020. That means most homes outside Old Town are newer than 1990, and newer homes commonly run supply lines through attics, garages and exterior walls. Those spots are more exposed to cold than interior walls, so a freeze can split a pipe there.
Old Town Helena has older homes where supply lines may be older materials, so a pipe failure there can point to more than one weak spot. If your water bill suddenly jumps without a visible leak, check our leak detection page. And if your supply comes through the City of Helena Utilities Board, call them at (205) 663-1670 if you see low pressure on the whole street, since that may not be your plumbing at all.
What affects the cost of burst pipe repair
- Where the pipe isAn exposed pipe in a garage is quicker to reach than one inside a finished wall or under a slab.
- How much pipe is damagedOne split section is a short repair, while a run with several failures may call for a longer replacement.
- Pipe materialThe materials and fittings required differ among copper, PEX, CPVC and galvanized pipe, and so does the labor.
- Access and cleanupOpening walls or ceilings, drying out the area and patching surfaces add time and sometimes other trades.
- Urgency and timingUrgency and scheduling also play a part, and we tell you the price before we start.
Sudden pipe bursts are often covered by homeowners' insurance for the resulting water damage, though gradual leaks may not be. Document everything with photos, keep receipts, and ask your insurer what paperwork they want from us. You will see a clear price before work starts.
Want your real number? Call (855) 575-2890What to have ready when you call
- The location of the water, and whether it is still flowing.
- Whether the main valve is closed, and whether the water stopped.
- The age and type of pipe, if you know it.
- Whether the burst followed a freeze or a recent remodel.
- Whether water has reached the ceiling, outlets or the electrical panel.
- A safe path to the area, with pets put away.
- The name of your insurance company and your policy number.
When the pipe was only the first symptom
A burst can reveal a larger problem. High water pressure, a failing pressure regulator, old pipe and repeated freezes all produce repeat failures. If a second pipe splits within a short period, ask us to check the pressure and look at the surrounding run, since repairing one spot while the rest is brittle often leads to another call.
We can also test pressure at an outdoor spigot, which takes only a minute. A reading well above what your fixtures are rated for points to a regulator problem, and that is a much easier fix than replacing pipe.
We serve homes in Pelham and Calera as well, so if you live just outside Helena, call and we will confirm your address.
Burst pipe questions from Helena homeowners
Yes. Our line is open 24/7, and we offer same-day appointments when available. If water is flowing, shut off the main valve and call right away.
Close the main water valve, open the lowest faucet to drain the lines, turn off the water heater if the burst is on the hot side, and call. If water touches electrical equipment, leave the room and call 911.
Sudden bursts often are for the resulting damage, but policies differ and gradual leaks may be treated differently. Take photos, keep receipts, and ask your insurer.
Often, yes, when the surrounding pipe is sound. A spot repair costs less than a full replacement, but we may recommend more if several sections are failing.
Sometimes. Open the faucet slightly, add gentle heat from a hair dryer, and keep the main valve ready to close. Never use an open flame, and call us if you see a wet spot.
It depends on access, the pipe and the extent of damage. We will tell you what to expect once we see the damage, including whether the rest of the house can have water while we work.
Ask the Helena Utilities Board where its responsibility ends for your address. The lines inside your home are generally handled by a plumber you hire.