If a water pipe bursts in your home, turn the water off at the stop tap straight away. That one step stops fresh water pouring through the split and limits the damage while you deal with everything else.
This post covers how to find and turn off your stop tap, how to stay safe around electrics, how to drain the pipes and protect your home, and who is responsible for which pipes. You can do all of these steps yourself safely, but the repair itself is a job for a plumber.
Turn off the water at the stop tap
The stop tap (also called a stopcock) is the valve that controls the mains water coming into your home. It's usually under the kitchen sink. If it isn't there, look where the water pipe comes into the house: a downstairs toilet, a utility room, under the stairs or in the garage.
Turn it clockwise until it stops. Older stop taps can be stiff, so turn it firmly but steadily, and don't hit it or use a long tool for leverage, as a snapped stop tap makes things worse.
If you can't find yours, or it won't turn, there is usually a second stop tap outside, under a small cover in the pavement or at the edge of your front garden. That one belongs to your water company, so contact them rather than trying to open it yourself.
Keep away from water near electrics
Water and electricity together are the most dangerous part of a burst pipe. If water is reaching sockets, light fittings or your consumer unit (the box of switches and fuses, often called the fuse box), switch the electricity off at the main switch on the consumer unit.
Only do this if you can reach it while standing somewhere dry. If the consumer unit itself is wet, or you would have to stand in water to reach it, don't touch it. Leave the area and call a qualified electrician.
If water is coming through a ceiling, don't switch on the light in that room, and don't stand under a ceiling that is sagging or bulging.
Turn off your boiler and heating
Once the water is off, turn off your boiler too. A combi boiler, which heats water straight from the mains, has nothing to heat with the stop tap closed. If the burst is on a heating pipe or radiator, the heating system will lose water and pressure, and the boiler shouldn't keep running like that.
If you have a hot water cylinder with an immersion heater (an electric element inside the tank), switch that off as well.
Drain the water out of the pipes
Closing the stop tap stops new water coming in, but the pipes are still full. Open all your cold taps, then your hot taps, and flush the toilets. This empties the pipework so less water escapes through the split.
If you have a cold water tank in the loft, some taps and the toilet may still be fed from it after the mains is off. Running the bathroom cold taps empties it faster.
Limit the damage while you wait
While the pipes drain, you can protect your home:
- put a bucket or bowl under the leak and towels around it
- move furniture, rugs, electrical items and anything valuable out of the way
- take photos and videos of the damage, and of the pipe if you can see it
- check your home insurance policy to see what it covers and how to claim
Keep any receipts for emergency costs, as your insurer may ask for them.
Who is responsible for which pipes
Not every leak is yours to fix. Your water company owns the pipes under the street up to your boundary, plus the meter or stop tap outside your property. Once the pipe crosses into your property, it becomes your responsibility, including any section under a private drive. In some older homes, a single supply pipe is shared with neighbours, so the repair can be shared too.
In Hornchurch and the rest of Havering, the council directs residents to Essex & Suffolk Water, which is responsible for the supply up to and including the stopcock. So if the water is coming up through the pavement or the road, contact the water company. If it's inside your home or within your boundary, you need a plumber.
Why pipes burst in winter
Most burst pipes in winter start with freezing. Water expands as it turns to ice, and that pressure can split a copper or plastic pipe. Often you don't see the leak until the ice thaws and water starts running through the split.
Pipes in lofts, garages, outside walls and outside taps are most at risk, because they sit in the coldest parts of the house. We cover a few ways to protect them in our guide to common plumbing issues. If a pipe is frozen but hasn't split, turn off the water and thaw it gently with towels soaked in warm water or a hairdryer on a low setting. Never use a blowtorch or any naked flame.
What a plumber does when they arrive
A plumber will find the damaged section of pipe, cut it out and fit new pipe or a repair fitting. They will then turn the water back on, check every joint they've worked on for leaks, and look for any other damage the burst may have caused.
If the burst was on your heating, the system needs refilling and the boiler bringing back to the right pressure before it will run again. When we visit, we find the cause, explain what needs doing and tell you the cost before any work starts. If your boiler won't restart once the water is back on, our boiler repair service can find out why.
A burst pipe is stressful, but turning off the water, keeping clear of wet electrics and draining the system will keep the damage to a minimum. Once you've done that, book a visit through our plumbing service and RDS Plumbing Ltd will find the damaged pipe, repair it and get your water back on.
