Quick answer
- Shut off water at the main first — not the fixture.
- Kill power to any wet room before you step in it.
- Photograph everything before you move or mop anything.
- Get air moving; wet drywall and flooring fail within 24–48 hours.
- Call a restoration crew before you call a plumber if water is still spreading.
1. Shut off the water at the main, not the fixture
People lose minutes trying to stop the water at the sink or toilet. If a supply line or pipe has actually burst, go straight to your main shutoff — usually where the water line enters the house, on the street-facing wall of the basement or in a utility closet. Turn it clockwise until it stops. If you rent or can't find it, the curb stop at the street works too (you'll need a meter key). Knowing where this valve is before an emergency is the single best five minutes you can spend as a homeowner.
2. Cut power to any room with standing water
Water plus outlets plus you is the one part of this that can actually hurt you. If water is near outlets, baseboards, or a panel, flip the breaker to that area before you walk in. If the panel itself is wet or you'd have to stand in water to reach it, don't — call us and stay out.
3. Photograph everything before you touch it
Your phone camera is a claims tool. Shoot wide photos of each affected room, then close-ups of the source, the standing water line on the walls, and any soaked contents. Do this before you mop, move furniture, or throw anything away. Adjusters pay on documented baseline conditions — the photos you take in the first ten minutes are worth more than anything later.
4. Start moving air and lifting what you can
Open windows if it's dry out, run fans, and get soft goods off the floor — rugs, boxes, electronics, anything on the bottom shelf. Lift furniture legs onto foil or wood blocks so they don't wick and stain. You're not trying to finish the job; you're buying time before wet drywall wicks upward and flooring delaminates, which starts inside 24–48 hours.
5. Call the right number in the right order
If water has stopped and the mess is contained, call a plumber to fix the pipe. If water is still spreading, soaking into walls, or you're over your head, call a restoration crew first — extraction and drying is the time-sensitive part, and we coordinate the plumbing repair around it. On the Main Line we aim for a crew on-site within 60–90 minutes, day or night.
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Call (484) 416-8144Frequently asked
Should I call my insurance company before I clean up?
You can, but you don't have to wait for them to start mitigation — most policies actually require you to prevent further damage. Photograph everything, start extraction/drying, and open the claim in parallel. Fast documented mitigation strengthens a claim; it doesn't weaken it.
Is a burst pipe covered by homeowners insurance?
A sudden, accidental burst is covered under most standard policies. Slow, long-term leaks and unrepaired maintenance issues are commonly excluded. Your declarations page is the source of truth.