Bare winter trees along a street of brick homes on a gray North Texas winter day

Burst Pipe Water Damage in Dallas-Fort Worth

A pipe that froze overnight often lets go when it thaws. Close the main valve, keep clear of wet outlets, and call. The line connects you with an independent DFW restoration company.

Call (469) 649-7066 What to do in the first hour

Why burst pipes in Dallas cluster around hard freezes

Most of the year, a burst pipe in Dallas is a one-house problem: an old fitting gives out, a washer line splits. Then a hard freeze arrives and thousands of houses can have the same problem in the same week.

Water expands as it turns to ice. In a pipe, that ice blocks the line and pressure builds between the ice plug and the closed faucet until the pipe or a fitting splits. The leak often does not show until the ice thaws and water flows at full pressure through the crack.

In many DFW houses, water lines run through unheated attics, along outside walls, through garages and to hose bibs on the brick. Those are the stretches that freeze first.

Water Damage Pro Dallas is a free phone line. It does not repair pipes and does not dry houses. Callers are put through to a locally owned restoration company that is independent of the line, and this page explains what that company and your plumber each do.

Frosted water pipe in an attic dripping onto soaked pink insulation

The first hour after a pipe bursts

Close the main valve. Shut your private shutoff: turn a round handle clockwise until it stops, or turn a lever handle so it sits crosswise to the pipe. Fort Worth asks residents to find and test that valve before winter and make sure everyone in the house knows where it is.
No valve? Call the city. In Dallas, 311 reaches Dallas Water Utilities, which can shut water off at the meter around the clock. In Fort Worth, call 817-392-4477. Other cities have their own numbers.
Open the faucets. Once the main is off, opening taps drains the water still sitting in the lines.
Check where the water went before touching power. When water drips from a light fixture or spreads toward outlets, keep out of the room. Shut off breakers only from a dry spot; if the panel is in the wet area, call Oncor or an electrician.
Gas, then out. Any smell of gas near a water heater or furnace means leaving the house and calling 911 and Atmos Energy once you are outside.
Take pictures. The split pipe if you can see it safely, the wet ceilings, floors and belongings, before cleanup starts.
Call your insurer, a plumber and the line. The plumber fixes the pipe. The line puts you through to a restoration company for the drying.

February 2021: what the storm did to DFW plumbing

Winter Storm Uri is the reference point for every North Texas homeowner who has dealt with frozen pipes. The Fort Worth office of the National Weather Service logged these numbers at DFW Airport, and local reporting filled in the damage.

What happened	Detail	Source
Hours at or below freezing	139 in a row, from 5 p.m. February 13 to noon February 19	National Weather Service
Snowfall at DFW Airport	5.0 inches	National Weather Service
Lowest temperature	Minus 2 degrees, the second coldest reading on record at DFW	WFAA
Burst pipe calls in Dallas	More than 1,000 answered by Dallas Water Utilities by February 17	KERA
Fort Worth water system	More than 700 main breaks; boil notice for over 300,000 people after three of four plants lost power	KERA

A freeze like that hits every house in the region at once, so plumbers and restoration companies all get busy together. Preparing before the next hard freeze costs far less than waiting in line after it.

Where pipes split in North Texas homes

Attics

Supply lines that run over the ceiling to an upstairs bath or a second-floor laundry sit in an unheated space. When one splits, water soaks the insulation and comes through the ceiling below.

Outside walls

Kitchen and bathroom sinks on exterior walls have pipes in a cold cavity. Cabinet doors kept shut block the room's heat.

Hose bibs and irrigation

Outdoor faucets and sprinkler backflow devices are the most exposed parts of the system. A hose left attached traps water in the faucet.

Garages

Water heaters and washer lines in an unheated garage can freeze, especially on the side facing north wind.

Crawl spaces

Older pier-and-beam houses have supply lines under the floor, where winter air flows through foundation vents.

Not only cold

Pipes also fail from age, corrosion, high water pressure or a bad fitting, any time of year. The cleanup works the same way.

Outdoor faucet on a brick wall with ice and a frozen trickle of water on a frosty winter morning

Plumber or restoration company? Two different jobs

Callers often expect one company to handle everything. Usually it takes two trades, and it helps to know who does what before you start calling.

The plumber

Finds the split, cuts out the damaged section, replaces it, and pressure tests the line so the water can come back on. In Texas, plumbers are licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. Ask for the license number and look it up.

The restoration company

Measures moisture in ceilings, walls and floors, pulls out standing water, removes soaked insulation, pad and drywall that cannot be saved, and runs drying equipment until readings are back to normal. Some also rebuild.

The order matters less than the speed. The restoration company can often start extracting water while the plumber is still on the way, as long as the main is off. An attic burst often means opening the ceiling anyway, which gives the plumber access.

What drying looks like after a burst pipe

Bedroom ceiling with a wide brown water stain running down the wall above the bed

Supply line water is clean, Category 1 under the IICRC S500 standard, when it first comes out. That is the good news: if work starts quickly, more can be dried in place.

Wet attic insulation usually comes out. It holds water against the ceiling drywall and dries slowly.
Sagging ceiling drywall can fall without warning. Do not stand under it; the company decides whether it can stay.
Walls may be dried with small holes or by removing baseboards, or opened at the bottom if they are soaked.
Carpet on clean water caught early can sometimes be dried in place; wood floors that cup need close monitoring.

The EPA's guideline is that mold usually does not grow if wet materials are dried in 24 to 48 hours. During a regional freeze, when many companies are booked, that window may be hard to hit, so keep notes and photos of when you called. The ceiling water damage page goes further into ceilings.

Ask your insurer, not the contractor. Guidance from the Texas Department of Insurance separates water that shows up suddenly and by accident, like a split pipe, an overflowing toilet or a failed washer hose, which most home and renter policies include, from slow leaks and seepage, which they usually leave out. Flooding is excluded from home policies altogether and needs a separate flood policy. Insurers can also refuse a claim when the owner did not take reasonable steps to limit further damage. Before you sign for any work, pull out your policy and call the insurer about what it includes. More on water damage and insurance.

Before the next freeze: steps the cities recommend

Dallas Water Utilities, the City of Fort Worth and the Texas Department of Insurance publish similar winter advice. In short:

Wrap pipes in unheated spaces, including the attic, garage and crawl space.
Disconnect and drain garden hoses, and shut off and drain the sprinkler system.
During a hard freeze, let indoor faucets drip slowly, hot and cold, and open sink cabinets on outside walls so warm air reaches the pipes (keep cleaners away from children and pets).
Find your private shutoff valve now, test it, and show everyone in the house.
If you will be away, Dallas Water Utilities suggests shutting off the water at your private valve and draining the outdoor faucets.
Do not try to warm pipes with electrical devices; Fort Worth warns that can cause a burst and risks electrocution.

TDI notes that keeping the heat on matters for insurance too, since an insurer can deny a frozen pipe claim when reasonable steps were not taken.

Problems a burst pipe can leave behind

Water Extraction and Emergency Water Removal

Standing water from a supply line, water heater or storm: what extraction equipment does, carpet and pad decisions, and why drying has to follow.

Ceiling Water Damage

A brown ring, a bubble in the paint or a ceiling that has started to sag. What each sign means, how to stay safe under it and how a company decides to dry or replace.

Mold Removal and Black Mold

Black mold after a leak in a DFW home: why color does not decide the risk, where the 25 square foot line falls in Texas, what to leave alone, and why the leak is fixed first.

Water coming through the ceiling after a freeze? Call the line at any hour, tell the assistant your town and that a pipe burst, and you are transferred to an independent DFW restoration company. Call your plumber for the pipe itself.

Call (469) 649-7066

How the line works

Call the numberAn automated assistant answers (469) 649-7066 at any hour and asks what you need help with. The same number answers other home service calls too, so start with "water damage" or "mold".
Describe what happenedA burst pipe, standing water, a wet ceiling, a slab leak, a sewage backup or mold, plus your town and whether water is still coming in.
Get transferredWater damage calls go to an independent, locally owned DFW restoration company; mold removal calls go to an independent mold remediation company. Each hears a short summary before it picks up. Mold testing calls are taken as a message for now.
Deal with that company directlyIt inspects, quotes and does the work, and you pay it (or your insurer does, as you arrange). If it cannot answer, it gets your name, number, city and problem so it can call you back.

About this line: Water Damage Pro Dallas is a free phone line, not a restoration or mold company. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. Calling the line costs you nothing. See how a call is handled.

More pages that may help

Towns across DFW on the line

Burst pipe questions from North Texas homeowners

How much does burst pipe water damage cost?

Think of it as two bills. The plumbing repair is the smaller one: Angi's cost guide puts a typical burst pipe repair at about $500, with most homeowners paying $200 to $3,000 depending on where the pipe is. The water damage is separate and depends on how long the water ran, how many rooms it reached, and how much drywall, insulation and flooring has to be replaced. The line does not set prices; get written estimates, and see the cost guide.

Does homeowners insurance cover a burst pipe in Texas?

Often, but read your policy. According to TDI, the Texas Department of Insurance, a home or renters policy usually covers water damage that is sudden and accidental, and a burst pipe is the classic example. TDI also warns that an insurer may deny a frozen pipe claim if you did not take reasonable steps, such as keeping the heat on. Flood insurance does not cover a burst pipe. Call your insurer, ask about your deductible, and keep receipts. More in the insurance guide.

Should I call a plumber or a water damage company first?

Shut the water off first, at your own valve or through your city. Then you usually need both. A plumber repairs or replaces the broken pipe so water can be turned back on. A restoration company measures where the water went, removes what cannot be saved and dries the structure. Neither does the other's job. When you call the line, the assistant connects you with a restoration company; you arrange the plumber yourself.

My pipes froze but nothing is leaking yet. What should I do?

Treat it as a pipe that may already be cracked. The City of Fort Worth advises calling a plumber when a pipe freezes, because a split line often starts leaking only when the ice melts. Know where your shutoff is before it thaws, open the faucet the line feeds, and keep heat moving toward the pipe. The city also warns against using electrical devices to heat a pipe, which risks a burst and electrocution.

How many pipes burst in Dallas during the 2021 winter storm?

Nobody counted every private pipe, but the public numbers were large. By February 17, 2021, Dallas Water Utilities had answered more than 1,000 calls about burst pipes, according to KERA. In Fort Worth, the city water system had more than 700 main breaks and issued a boil notice for more than 300,000 people after three of its four treatment plants lost power.

Pipe burst in a DFW home? Call the free line

Say what happened and which town you are in. The automated assistant passes a water damage call to an independent, locally owned DFW restoration company, and a mold removal call to an independent mold remediation company. That company comes out, sees the damage and prices the work itself.

Call (469) 649-7066

Answers day or nightPipes burst at 3 a.m. and storms roll in after dark. The assistant picks up at any hour, every day of the year.
Free to callThe line never bills you. Any price comes from the company you are connected with, and you can ask for it in writing.
Mold testing is separateTexas keeps the mold assessor and the remediator on one job apart, so testing calls are taken as a message.
You decideHear what the company found, read its estimate, ask your insurer your questions, and say yes only when it makes sense.