Burst Pipe or Major Leak: What to Do First

The first five minutes

Do these in order, and do not stop to find a bucket first.

• Turn off the internal stop tap, usually under the kitchen sink
• Open all cold taps to drain the system down
• If water is near lights or sockets, switch off that circuit at the consumer unit
• Turn off the boiler or heating system
• Move furniture, electricals and anything absorbent out of the way

Protect the ceiling below

If water is pooling above a ceiling, it will find its own way out eventually and take a large area of plasterboard with it. A single controlled hole made with a screwdriver at the lowest point of the bulge, with a bucket beneath, drains it and usually saves the whole ceiling.

Do not do this if you cannot see what is above, and do not do it near a light fitting with the power still on.

Photograph everything

Before you clear up, take photographs and a short video. Insurers ask for evidence of the damage at its worst, and it is the one thing nobody remembers to capture while the water is still coming down.

What an emergency call out involves

The first visit is about making safe and stopping the damage, not finishing the job. Expect isolation, a temporary repair and a plan. The permanent repair, particularly any plastering, happens once the structure has dried, which takes days rather than hours.