What to do when a pipe bursts
A burst supply line puts out water fast, and the first ten minutes decide how much of the house it reaches. The order matters: stop the water, then protect the things water ruins, then make the calls.
First: stop the water
Find the main shutoff and close it. In most Portland homes it's where the water line enters the house, often in the basement, the crawl space, or a garage wall, and there's usually a second shutoff at the meter box near the curb. Know yours before you need it; the middle of a leak is a bad time to learn the crawl space layout.
Once the main is closed, open a faucet at the lowest point in the house to drain the pressure that's still in the lines.
Then: protect and document
- Kill power to the wet area at the breaker if water is near outlets, appliances, or a light fixture. Water and electricity is the combination that hurts people.
- Move what you can. Furniture, rugs, and anything stored on the floor in the water's path.
- Contain what's left. Towels, buckets, and a wet vac slow the spread while you wait.
- Take photos. Before anything gets cleaned up, document the water line, the damage, and the source if you can see it. Your insurance claim wants them.
What not to do
Don't wait to see if it slows down. A supply line under pressure doesn't slow; it runs at full pressure until someone closes a valve. Don't cut into walls hunting for the break before the water is off and a plumber has scoped the situation. And don't skip the photos because the mess is embarrassing; the claim doesn't care.
When it can't wait
Active water you can't stop, water near the electrical panel, a ceiling bulging with trapped water, or a sewage backup all qualify as emergencies that need a call now. An emergency plumbing request marks itself urgent, and the after-hours crew takes it from there.
The freeze is what does it here. Portland's cold snaps are short, but east-wind events freeze exposed hose bibs and uninsulated crawl-space lines overnight, and they let go when they thaw. Disconnecting hoses in October and knowing where the shutoff is covers most of it.
