Emergency Plumbing

Burst and Frozen Pipe Repair

A split pipe is usually the visible end of a longer story about where that run sits and how cold it got. We repair the break and deal with the reason it happened.

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What is included

What this service covers

What we actually do on this job, and what you can expect us to deal with while we are there.

Locating the split when the water is appearing somewhere else
Cutting out and replacing failed sections of copper, PEX, CPVC or galvanized
Thawing frozen runs safely, without a naked flame
Repiping short runs that keep failing rather than patching them again
Insulating and rerouting pipe out of the space that froze it
Replacing failed supply connectors at appliances and fixtures

Signs to look for

You may need this if you are seeing any of these

A tap that has stopped delivering water during cold weather
Water appearing through a ceiling or down a wall
A hissing or running sound with every tap closed
A sudden drop in pressure across the house
Visible bulging, frost or a split line on exposed pipe
Water meter still ticking over when nothing is being used

Why it happens

What usually causes it

Water freezing in an unheated run

Ice expands and forces the pipe wall apart, but the split usually stays sealed by the ice itself. The flood arrives on the thaw, which is why the damage often shows up on the first mild day after a cold snap rather than during it.

Pipe run through the wrong space

Supply lines in crawl spaces, unheated garages, enclosed porches and exterior wall cavities are the ones that freeze. In older Lebanon city housing this is extremely common, because the additions came later and the insulation did not.

Age and corrosion

Galvanized steel rusts inward until the wall is too thin to hold pressure, and copper develops pinholes where water chemistry or velocity has been working on it for decades. These fail without any help from the weather.

Excess pressure

A failed pressure reducing valve, or thermal expansion in a closed system with no expansion tank, pushes pressure well past what connectors are rated for. Braided and rubber appliance hoses go first.

Our approach

How we handle this job

Specific to this work rather than a generic checklist bolted onto every page.

01
Isolate and stabilise
Water off at the main or at the nearest isolation point, then we work out what is still live. If the ceiling is holding water we will often relieve it deliberately in one controlled spot rather than let it come down across the room.
02
Find the break, not the puddle
Water runs along joists and pipe runs before it drops, so the wet patch is frequently nowhere near the split. We trace it back so the opening we make is the one that needs making.
03
Repair or replace the run
A clean single split in otherwise sound pipe is a section replacement. A run that has failed twice, or galvanized that is closing up along its length, is worth replacing properly rather than patching again.
04
Fix the reason it froze
Where a freeze caused it, putting the same pipe back in the same cold space guarantees a repeat. Insulating it, rerouting it, or adding a drain point is usually a small addition to a job that is already open.

Where pipes actually freeze around here

Freeze calls are not random. They cluster in the same few places, and once you know the pattern you can predict which houses will call in January.

Rowhomes in the older parts of Lebanon city were built before anyone insulated a cavity, and later work added kitchens, bathrooms and enclosed back porches onto the outside of the original envelope. The supply lines feeding those additions frequently run through spaces that get no heat at all. Those are the pipes that split.

Out in the townships the exposure is different but the result is the same: long runs under crawl spaces, lines out to barns, workshops and outdoor hydrants, and vacation or seasonal properties where the heat is turned down and nobody has drained anything.

A main water shut-off valve on a copper service line in a basement

Repair or repipe

The honest answer depends on what the pipe looks like once it is open, and we would rather show you than tell you.

Sound copper with one clean split is a straightforward section replacement, and there is no reason to do more. Galvanized steel that is rusting closed along its length is a different conversation, because the next failure is already forming a few feet away. Repeatedly patching a run like that costs more over two winters than replacing it once.

What we will not do is quote a repipe over the phone on a pipe nobody has seen yet.

A press tool crimping a fitting onto copper pipe

Getting the cause, not just the split

If a freeze caused the failure, putting identical pipe back into the identical cold space is a guarantee of a repeat call. While the run is already open, insulating it, moving it into heated space, or fitting an isolation valve and drain so it can be emptied each autumn is usually a small addition to the work.

That last option is the one most farm and outbuilding customers should ask about. A buried line to a barn that gets drained every October does not burst.

For the seasonal checklist, see how to prevent frozen pipes. If water is coming in right now, the emergency page has the shut-off sequence.

Questions

Burst pipe repair questions

Specific to this job. Every service page here has its own, none repeated.

General FAQ

Common questions

My tap stopped during a cold snap. Has the pipe already burst?

Not necessarily, and there is a window here worth using. A frozen line often has not split yet. Leave the affected tap open so meltwater and pressure have somewhere to go, and warm the pipe gently from the tap end back towards the frozen section using a hair dryer or heat tape. Never use a torch or any open flame on a pipe. If you cannot reach the frozen section, or water starts appearing as it thaws, shut the main off and call.

Why did the flood only start once it warmed up?

Because the ice was plugging the split it created. Freezing water expands and forces the pipe wall apart, but the ice itself seals the opening while it is still frozen. Once it thaws, the pipe is open and under full pressure. This is why the busiest day for burst pipe calls is often the first mild day after a hard freeze, not the coldest night.

Can you repair just the split section, or does the whole pipe need replacing?

It depends on what the rest of the run looks like once it is exposed. A single clean split in otherwise sound copper is a section repair. Galvanized steel that has been corroding inward for eighty years is different, because the section next to the failure is usually in the same condition, and patching it means being back in a few months. We will show you what we are looking at and let you decide.

How do I know if a pipe is leaking inside a wall?

The reliable test costs nothing. Turn off every water-using fixture and appliance in the house, then look at the water meter. If it is still moving, water is going somewhere. Beyond that: a running or hissing sound with everything closed, a warm patch on a floor, staining or bubbling paint, a musty smell, or a water bill that has climbed without a change in habits.

Will you have to open up my wall or ceiling?

Sometimes, and we keep it as small as we can. Tracing the leak properly before cutting is the difference between one neat opening and three exploratory ones. We are plumbers rather than plasterers, so we will leave the opening clean and square and tell you honestly what putting it back involves.

The pipe froze once. Will it keep happening?

Yes, unless something changes, because the conditions that froze it are still there. That is why we treat the cause as part of the job rather than an upsell. Depending on where the run sits, the fix is insulation, rerouting the pipe into heated space, or adding an isolation and drain point so the run can be emptied each winter.

Is a burst pipe covered by insurance?

Sudden accidental discharge is commonly covered, and gradual seepage commonly is not, but your policy is the only thing that decides it for your house. Photograph everything before cleanup, keep the section of pipe we cut out, and keep the invoice. We are happy to describe the failure factually in writing for a claim, but we cannot tell you what you are covered for.

Related services

Where we cover for this

All service areas

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