Burst Pipe? What to Do in the First 24 Hours

A burst pipe can put litres of water into your home in minutes. The good news: the first hour is the one that matters most — and the steps that limit the damage are ones you can do yourself, before anyone else arrives.

Sources: Association of British Insurers. Figures are typical, not guaranteed.

Step 1 — Stop the water

Your first job is to cut the supply. Find your internal stop tap (also called a stopcock) — in most homes it’s under the kitchen sink, but it can be in a downstairs cupboard, the bathroom, or near the front door. Turn it clockwise until it stops. That isolates the water feeding the burst.

If the stop tap is stuck or won’t turn, don’t force it until it snaps — call an emergency plumber, and if you still can’t stop the flow, your water company can turn the supply off at the outside stopcock. It’s worth finding and testing your stop tap before you ever need it: they seize up when left for years.

Step 2 — Turn off the heating, then drain the system

Switch off the boiler and central heating, and any other water heating. Then open all the cold taps and flush the toilets to drain the water still sitting in the pipes — saving a bucketful for washing and flushing while the supply is off. Draining the system stops more water reaching the burst while you arrange a repair.

Step 3 — Electrics: the one rule that matters

This is the official line, too: the UK government’s flooding guidance says that if water has leaked near your electrics, don’t touch them and switch them off at the fuse box.

Step 4 — Contain it and protect what you can

Catch and soak up water with towels, buckets and a mop. Lift rugs, and move furniture and electricals off wet floors — get anything valuable or sentimental up high and out of the way. If it’s safe, slip foil or a block of wood under furniture legs so they don’t wick water and stain carpets. Insurers also recommend photographing everything before you move or remove it — it makes any claim far easier.

Step 5 — Call your insurer and a WaterSafe plumber

With the water off, make two calls. Your insurer first — most have 24-hour emergency lines, and they would rather hear from you early; they can tell you what’s covered and how to proceed. Then a WaterSafe-approved plumber to repair the pipe properly. A clamp or tape is a temporary hold only — don’t turn the water back on until the repair is done, or you risk a second flood.

Step 6 — Start drying: the part everyone forgets

Here’s the bit the water companies and insurers don’t tell you: a plumber fixes the pipe, but nobody dries your home. Drying is where the lasting damage is won or lost — wet plaster, skirting, floors and joists left damp are what lead to mould, smells and warping later.

It comes down to the same drying principle the professionals use: air movement plus dehumidification — and you can hire professional-grade kit to do it yourself. Air movers push a high-volume stream of air across wet floors and walls so moisture evaporates much faster. A dehumidifier then pulls that moisture out of the air and collects it, so it can’t soak back in. Run them together within the first day or two and you can significantly reduce the risk of mould and secondary damage.

Air mover

Move the moisture out

High-volume airflow dries wet floors, carpets and skirting far faster than leaving them.

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Dehumidifier

Take it out of the air

A 38L commercial dehumidifier pulls the moisture out of the room so it can’t soak back in.

View the 38L

Ready-made kit

The one-room pack

Not sure what to pick? The entry drying package pairs a dehumidifier with an air mover.

View the package

Hiring drying kit for a small clean-water job can be significantly cheaper than a restoration call-out, but the exact cost depends on the equipment and how long you need it — the price shows on each product page. For the full method, see our guide on how to dry out a house after a leak or flood.

How long will it take to dry out?

Longer than most people hope. Surfaces can feel dry within a few days, but the moisture trapped inside walls, screed and timber takes far longer to leave — often weeks. The single biggest factor in your control is running enough equipment, continuously. We cover the full picture in how long it takes to dry out a room.

Insurance: who pays?

A burst pipe is usually covered as standard under buildings insurance — often called “escape of water”. Broadly, buildings cover handles the structure (walls, ceilings, floors) and contents cover handles your possessions. One thing worth checking on your own policy is “trace and access” — the cost of finding and getting to a hidden leak (lifting floors, opening walls); it isn’t always included as standard, and an excess usually applies. Policies vary, so check yours or call your insurer — and if your home is left empty in winter, look at any unoccupied-property conditions. (We’re not insurers; this is general information, not advice on your individual claim.)

When to call a professional, not DIY

Stop it happening again

Most burst pipes are a winter problem: water freezes, expands and splits the pipe, and the leak starts when it thaws. Lag exposed pipes in the loft, garage and outside taps; keep a low background heat on through cold snaps; and make sure you know where your stop tap is and that it actually turns. One safety note: never thaw a frozen pipe with a naked flame or blowtorch — it can damage the pipe and start a fire.

Common questions

Sources checked

This guide was fact-checked against UK authorities before publishing:

• Association of British Insurers (ABI) — escape-of-water and burst-pipe claim figures.
• Met Office / gov.uk — frozen and burst pipe, and flooding, guidance.
• Thames Water and United Utilities — first-step burst-pipe advice.
• WaterSafe — approved-plumber guidance.
• Insurer and Citizens Advice guidance — home-insurance cover basics.