Burst Pipe? The First 10 Minutes in a Phoenix Home

Minute 0 to 2: stop the water

Every minute a broken line runs at full pressure adds gallons to your floors and walls, so the shut-off comes before anything else. City of Phoenix Water Services says that in most homes the main valve is at the front of the house near a hose bib, on the pipe where it comes out of the ground. In some older homes it is at the back of the property. It may be a round handle, a lever or a knob.

• Turn it clockwise (or a quarter turn for a lever) until it stops.
• If the valve will not move or is broken, do not go to the meter box with a wrench. The City says not to shut water off at the meter yourself: it takes a special tool and you can be held responsible for damage. Call Phoenix Water Services at 602-261-8000 for emergency water line problems and ask for a shut-off at the meter.
• If you are served by another utility, such as Mesa, Glendale, EPCOR or Liberty, the emergency number is on your water bill. Save it in your phone now.

If the leak is clearly from one fixture, such as a toilet supply or a sink line, you can close the small valve under that fixture instead. For a water heater, close the cold inlet valve on top of the tank.

Minute 2 to 4: make the area safe

Water and electricity are the real danger in the first few minutes. A state health department fact sheet on entering flooded buildings says that if water has reached electrical circuits, especially above outlet height, power should be shut off at the main breaker or fuse, and it should stay off until a qualified electrician has checked the system. The key rule: do not walk through standing water to reach the panel. If the panel is in a wet room or garage, stay out and call an electrician or the electric utility.

If water has reached a gas water heater, furnace or dryer, watch for a gas odor. If you smell gas, leave the house first, then call 911 and the gas utility from outside. Across most of metro Phoenix that is Southwest Gas, whose emergency line is 877-860-6020. Some homes are all-electric or use propane, so check your gas bill to see who your provider is. Our gas leak steps cover this in more detail.

Minute 4 to 6: drain the lines and find the break

With the main closed, open the lowest cold faucet in the house, often a tub spout or an outside hose bib. That drains what is left in the pipes so less spills from the break. The City's plumbing tips sheet also says to leave faucets open until repairs are finished. If the leak is on the hot side, turn off the water heater's gas or power so the burner or elements do not run on a partly drained tank.

Then look for the source, but do not cut into walls. Common spots in Valley homes include:

• Braided supply hoses to toilets, faucets, washers and ice makers
• Pipes in the garage, attic or an exterior wall, especially during a rare hard freeze
• Outdoor hose bibs and exposed irrigation lines, PVC and poly in particular
• The backflow assembly on the irrigation line, which Phoenix asks owners to insulate in cold snaps
• The yard service line between the meter and the house

If you cannot see any break but the floor is wet or warm, the leak may be under the slab. Our guide to spotting a slab leak explains what to check next.

Minute 6 to 8: document before you clean

Take wide photos of each wet room, then close-ups of the break, the water line on walls or cabinets, and any damaged belongings. A short video walking through the house works too. Keep the failed hose, fitting or section of pipe after the repair; an adjuster may want to see it.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners says homeowners policies generally cover water damage from a sudden and accidental discharge, including frozen pipes that burst, but coverage can depend on having taken reasonable steps such as keeping the house heated or shutting off the water when it is vacant. Damage blamed on neglect may be denied. Read your policy, call your insurer early, and ask what they need before work starts.

Minute 8 to 10: start removing water

Mop, use a wet vacuum, and pull rugs and furniture out of the wet area. Lift soaked items off carpet so stains and dyes do not transfer. Open windows if the weather allows, and run fans and air conditioning to pull moisture out.

Speed matters because of mold. EPA's mold guidance is built around responding to water damage within 24 to 48 hours, and it warns that mold may still grow even when materials are dried in that window. Its advice includes extracting water from carpet, drying the subfloor underneath, and replacing drywall that has swollen or whose seams have come apart. For more than a small puddle, a water damage restoration company with moisture meters and dehumidifiers is often worth the call.

Who to call, in what order

Once the water is off and the area is safe, a repair can usually wait for normal hours if you can live without water for a while. If you cannot, or the shut-off failed, an emergency plumber in Phoenix is the right call. Our article on whether a problem needs a night or weekend visit can help you decide.

What the repair usually involves

For a failed supply hose or a single cracked fitting, the fix is often a straight swap. A split section of copper or PEX is cut out and spliced. HomeAdvisor's 2025 data puts a single burst pipe repair at roughly $200 to $3,000, with the high end usually reflecting access through drywall, ceilings or concrete. A plumber who does burst pipe repair in Phoenix will usually pressure-test the system afterward to make sure there is not a second weak spot.

A break in the buried line between the meter and the house is a different job; see yard water line repair. If the pipe that failed is old galvanized steel or has had several leaks, ask about repiping the house rather than patching again. And when water soaked the base of a tank heater, have it checked before relying on it, since a water heater replacement may be safer than drying out a damaged unit.

Preventing the next one

Valley freezes are rare and brief, which is exactly why exposed pipes are often unprotected. On freeze-warning nights, Phoenix Water Services suggests insulating exposed pipes and the irrigation backflow assembly, disconnecting and draining hoses, keeping the garage door closed, opening cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls, and letting a cold tap trickle slowly. Year-round, replace rubber washer hoses with braided ones, test the main valve so you know it turns, and show everyone in the house where it is. If you have had trouble with the irrigation line before, an annual backflow assembly test is a good time to have the piping around it looked at. Homeowners in Glendale and other west Valley cities face the same exposed-pipe risks on cold nights.