A burst pipe doesn't wait for business hours, and the first few minutes matter more than anything a plumber does after arriving.
Know your shut-off before you need it
The single biggest factor in how much damage a burst pipe does is how fast the water gets shut off. Most Central Texas homes have a main shut-off valve near the water meter or where the line enters the house — find it today, not during the emergency.
- Main shut-off valve, usually near the meter or where the line enters the house
- Individual shut-offs under sinks and behind toilets for smaller leaks
- Water heater shut-off if the burst is on the hot side
- Breaker panel, if water is anywhere near outlets or fixtures
"We staff dispatch around the clock for exactly this reason — a burst pipe at 2am doesn't get a slower response than one at 2pm."
Lena Ortiz · Operations Lead
What happens after you call
Dispatch routes the call to whichever tech is closest, not whoever's next in a queue, which is how we hold a 60-minute average response. The tech arrives ready to stop the immediate damage first and diagnose the full repair once the water's off.
Why the main shutoff is your best friend
Every home has a main shutoff valve, and the single best thing you can do for your plumbing today — not during an emergency — is go find yours and confirm it actually turns. In most Central Texas homes, that valve sits either right where the water line enters the house or out near the meter at the street, and the two aren't the same thing: the meter has its own valve too, but it usually belongs to the utility and can be harder to access or legally touch depending on your city. The house-side valve is the one you want to know cold, because in a burst-pipe situation, closing it is what stops the damage — everything after that is just cleanup and repair. Valves that haven't been touched in years sometimes stick or turn stiffly; if yours doesn't move easily under normal hand pressure, don't force it hard enough to crack the stem or fitting. That's worth having a tech free up on a routine visit, not something to discover mid-emergency when every extra minute means more water on your floor.
Find your main shut-off valve and close it, kill power to any affected outlets or fixtures, and move anything valuable out of the water's path. Snap a few photos for insurance, then call — we dispatch the nearest tech and average a 60-minute response, 24/7.
