Two-story brick home on a corner beside a wet street after rain

Water Damage Restoration in Murphy, Texas

Murphy is a small Collin County city of mostly 2000s houses. A leak from an attic water heater, a sewer backup or a split line can happen at any hour, and one free call connects you with an independent restoration company.

Call (469) 649-7066 Murphy numbers to keep

From one-acre lots to a full suburb

Murphy began with families who settled along Maxwell Creek in the 1840s and took the Murphy name when the railroad arrived in 1888. By 1961 the town was down to about 135 people.

The Murphy Chamber of Commerce says families came back in the 1980s for lots of one to five acres, and a building boom began in 1999. The town had about 6,500 residents in late 2002, about 17,000 by 2010 according to the city, and 21,013 at the 2020 census. Subdivisions such as Maxwell Creek North went up during that boom.

For water damage restoration in Murphy, that means most homes went up after 1999: old enough by now for original water heaters, supply hoses and shutoff valves to wear out, and new enough that the leaks hide in attics, upstairs bathrooms and slabs rather than in old galvanized pipe.

One-story brick ranch home beside a large oak tree on an open lot

Where Murphy leaks usually start

The attic

A water heater or AC unit in the attic sits over the ceilings you live under. An overflowing drain pan or a corroded fitting can soak insulation and ceiling drywall long before a stain shows below.

Upstairs bathrooms

In two-story houses, a failed toilet seal, shower pan or supply line on the second floor usually shows up as a wet kitchen or living room ceiling. See ceiling water damage.

Under the slab

Collin County's Blackland Prairie clay swells and shrinks with the weather and moves slab foundations. Floor tile that feels warm underfoot, or a water bill that climbs for no reason, is your cue to call a plumber about a slab leak.

Water heater in an attic standing in a metal drain pan that is holding water, lit by a work light

Murphy water, power and permit numbers

After-hours water line breaks and sewer backups: Police Dispatch, (972) 468-4236. Public Works has someone on call 24 hours a day.
Public Works, weekdays 8 to 5: (972) 468-4000.
Customer Service and permits: (972) 468-4100.
Electricity: Oncor or Farmers Electric Cooperative. During the 2021 storm, city leaders worked with both to sort out who had lost power, so check your bill for yours.
Gas: the company on your gas bill. If you smell gas, everyone goes outside before anyone calls 911 and that company.

Murphy buys its water from the North Texas Municipal Water District, mostly from Lavon Lake, treated at the district's plants in Wylie. The city says it has backup generators for its water and wastewater systems in long power outages.

February 2021 in Murphy

The Murphy Monitor reported that the North Texas Municipal Water District asked cities it serves to limit non-essential water use during the February 2021 storm. Demand that normally ran about 250 million gallons a day in winter jumped past 350 million once the power losses began, faster than the district could refill city storage tanks. The request was lifted later in the month, and a state senator's update on February 18 said none of the district's communities had been told to boil water.

Pipes still froze in homes across the region. The lesson for Murphy is a simple one: know where your shutoff is, and when a hard freeze is coming, protect pipes in attics, garages and outside walls.

Safety first. Shut off the main water valve if you can get to it without risk. Water and electricity together are the real hazard, so stay out of any puddle that touches an outlet, a cord or an appliance. Switch off the breaker only when the panel can be reached from dry flooring; if it cannot, call Oncor or Farmers Electric Cooperative, whichever serves you or an electrician. A gas smell means everyone goes outside, and the calls to 911 and the gas company on your bill are made from there. Floodwater and sewage are not safe to wade through, for adults, children or pets. Once everyone is safe, take photos for the insurance claim and carry valuables and documents to a dry room.

Services and permits after a Murphy leak

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.

Sewage Cleanup

A toilet, tub or floor drain pushing up dirty water is a Category 3 mess. Who owns the pipe, who to call first and what a careful cleanup looks like.

Mold Remediation

How a licensed Texas mold remediation runs from the assessor's protocol to clearance and the certificate, and how to judge a Dallas mold remediation company before you sign.

Murphy requires permits for residential remodels and additions, foundation repairs, and water and sewer line replacements. Contractors have to register with the city; homeowners may pull a permit for their own house. Floodplain rules are handled under the city's Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, so ask before rebuilding near Maxwell Creek.

Ask the company whether it is registered with Murphy and who will pull the permit.
Ask for moisture readings in writing, before and after drying.
Check the firm on the IICRC Global Locator and ask for a certificate of insurance from its insurer.
If mold shows up, check any assessor or remediator on the TDLR license search.

White sewer cleanout pipe with its cap off in the yard beside a brick home

What the free line does for Murphy callers

Water Damage Pro Dallas is only the phone connection. It holds no license and does none of the work.

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.

Say you are in Murphy and what the water is doing right now. The restoration company you reach hears a short summary, comes to look at the damage, and prices the job itself.

Call (469) 649-7066

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

Other DFW towns the line covers

Murphy homeowners ask

Who do I call in Murphy if a water line breaks at night?

After hours, the City of Murphy sends emergency water line breaks and wastewater backups to Police Dispatch at (972) 468-4236, and Public Works keeps someone on call around the clock. During weekday business hours, Public Works is (972) 468-4000. A break inside your house is a plumber's job; for the wet floors and walls, read about water extraction.

Do I need a Murphy permit to fix water damage?

Some repairs do. Murphy lists residential remodels and additions, foundation repairs and water and sewer line replacements among the jobs that need a permit. Contractors must be registered with the city, while homeowners may pull a permit for their own house. Customer Service at (972) 468-4100 can tell you which permit applies. See water damage repair.

What should I do when sewage backs up into my Murphy home?

Do not wade in, and keep kids and animals in another part of the house. If the backup is from the city line, report it to Public Works by day or Police Dispatch after hours. Sewage is Category 3 water, the most contaminated kind, and porous materials it soaks are usually removed. Ask your insurer whether your policy includes water backup coverage. More on sewage cleanup.

Water damage in Murphy? The free line answers now

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.