
Burst Pipe
A split line keeps pumping until somebody closes the main at the meter, so shut it there and call while the water is still under the house instead of in it.
When this becomes an emergency
- Water pushing up through the boards of a raised floor from the crawl space below.
- A spray you can hear under the house even with every tap closed.
- Pressure at the kitchen sink dropping to a trickle while something keeps running.
- A ceiling stain spreading outward while you watch it.
What a pro does
Louisiana splits into two burst-pipe stories, and the plumber works out which one he's in before touching anything. Up north around Ruston and Bastrop the ground gets hard freezes most winters, and lines break the way they do anywhere cold. Down toward the bayou country a freeze is rare enough that nobody protects for it, so when one does arrive the casualties are the exposed runs under raised pier-and-beam houses and the hose bibs on the outside wall. That open belly under the floor is the difference. Air moves through it freely, a supply line hung from the joists has nothing around it, and the same house sails through ninety percent of winters without trouble. After the shutoff, the plumber gets under the house with a light and follows the sound. The bad section comes out and gets rejoined with fittings that match what's already there, whether that's copper, galvanized or newer plastic. Then he pressures the system back up and watches the meter dial before he calls it done, because a freeze that broke one run has usually cracked a second one nearby.
Frequently asked questions
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