A Pipe Burst: What to Do Right Now
Short answer: Shut off the water at your main valve. If you can't, Laredo Utilities handles emergency shut-offs 24 hours a day. Keep away from wet outlets and cords, move what you can out of the water, take photos for insurance and get a licensed plumber. If pipes are frozen but not broken, thaw them with gentle heat, never an open flame.
Last updated: November 14, 2026
Texas requires a license for plumbing work. Look up any plumber in the state's public database before you hire.
A burst pipe can put a lot of water on the floor fast. The first minutes matter more than anything a plumber does later, so here's the order to do things in.
1. Stop the water
Close your main shut-off valve. The American Red Cross advice for a burst pipe is exactly that: turn off the water at the main valve, then get a plumber.
If you can't find the valve, it won't turn, or it doesn't stop the water, Laredo Utilities can shut the water off at the meter. Emergency shut-offs are among the calls its emergency line takes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; the number is on its water and sewer emergencies page.
Do this today, before you need it: find your main shut-off valve and make sure everyone at home knows where it is. If it's stuck or buried, have a plumber look at it on their next visit.
2. Make it safe
- Stay away from electricity. Don't touch outlets, cords or appliances that are wet or standing in water.
- Smell gas? Leave the house and call for help from outside, without switching lights or appliances on or off.
3. Limit the damage
- Move furniture, rugs and electronics out of the wet area.
- Mop and soak up what you can.
- Take photos and video before and during the cleanup for your insurance claim.
Texas requires a license for plumbing work. Look up any plumber in the state's public database before you hire.
4. Get a licensed plumber
Texas law requires plumbing work to be done by licensed plumbers. Even in a hurry:
- Ask for the license number and look it up in the state's public search.
- Ask how the price works for the visit and after-hours work, and get it in writing before work starts.
- Ask what they'll do now to stop the damage, and what can wait for a written estimate.
More in how to hire a plumber in Laredo.
If the pipes are frozen, not broken
If a faucet gives only a trickle during a hard freeze, a pipe may be frozen. Exposed pipes are the most at risk. The Red Cross advice, as reported by CBS News:
- Keep the faucet open so water can move as the ice melts.
- Apply gentle heat to the frozen section with a hair dryer, a heating pad or warm towels.
- Never use an open flame, like a torch or a camp stove.
- Keep heating until full pressure comes back.
- Open the cabinets under sinks so the warmer air in the house reaches the pipes.
If you can't reach the frozen section, or the pipe is cracked, shut off the main and get a licensed plumber.
Before the next freeze
FORTIFIED, a program of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, recommends:
- Insulate exposed pipes before temperatures drop below freezing.
- Open cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks.
- Let faucets drip during extreme cold.
- Keep the thermostat at 55°F or higher, even if you're away.
Related
- Plumbing emergencies
- Leaks, slab leaks and burst pipes
- Signs of a slab leak
- How to hire a plumber in Laredo
Before you hire, check the license
Texas requires a license for plumbing work. Look up any plumber in the state's public database before you hire.
Sources
- American Red Cross, cited by CBS News, "What to do if your pipes freeze" (Jan. 17, 2024)
- FORTIFIED (Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety), "Preventing frozen pipes" (Jan. 28, 2023)
- Laredo Utilities, "Water and sewer emergencies"
- Railroad Commission of Texas, "Gas Leaks"
- Texas Occupations Code § 1301.351