What should I do when a pipe bursts?

Damage in a burst is proportional to time. The single most valuable thing is knowing where your stopcock is before it happens — everything after that is straightforward, and everyone who has had a burst says the same thing about the search for the stopcock.

Safety

What you'll need

• Knowledge of your stopcock location
• Buckets and towels
• Torch (optional)

Step by step

1. Turn off the water at the internal stopcock.Usually under the kitchen sink, in a downstairs cupboard, or near the front door. Turn clockwise. This is the first action, before anything else.
2. Turn off the electricity if water is near any electrics.At the consumer unit. If water is coming through a ceiling with lights in it, treat the circuit as live and dangerous until it is off.
3. Open every cold tap in the house.It drains the pipework and reduces what continues to flow out of the burst. Start with the lowest taps in the building.
4. Turn off the heating and open hot taps too.This drains the hot system as well. Turning the boiler off prevents it firing against an empty system.
5. Contain and protect.Buckets under the leak, towels to soak, furniture and electronics moved out. If a ceiling is bulging with water, a small hole in the lowest point releases it in a controlled way rather than the ceiling collapsing.
6. Photograph everything before you clear up.Insurers need evidence. Photograph the damage, the source and the affected contents before moving anything.
7. Call an emergency plumber and your insurer.Many home insurance policies include an emergency helpline. Check the policy before paying for a call-out yourself.
8. Start drying the area as soon as the water is stopped.Ventilation, dehumidifiers and heat. Damp left in a structure becomes mould and rot within days.

Tips

• Find and label your stopcock today, and check it actually turns. Seized stopcocks are common and are far better discovered on a dry day.
• In freezing weather, keep the heating on low rather than off entirely when away. Frozen pipes bursting on the thaw is a leading cause.
• If the burst is outside your property boundary, it may be the water company's responsibility. Report it to them as well.

Common mistakes

• Looking for the leak before turning off the water — Every minute spent searching adds to the damage. Stop the flow first, then investigate.
• Entering standing water near electrics — It can be fatal. Isolate the electricity first, and do not enter if you cannot reach the consumer unit safely.
• Clearing up before photographing — Insurers may reduce or refuse a claim without evidence of the damage in its original state.

Questions people ask