First: Stop the Water
A burst pipe keeps releasing water until someone shuts it off, so the first job is to find the shutoff.
The National Weather Service tells households to know how to shut off the water before a pipe bursts. If you do not know where the main valve is, find it now, before the next cold snap, and make sure everyone in the house knows too.
If a ceiling is bulging or sagging with water, stay out from under it and call for help rather than poking at it.
If a Pipe Is Frozen but Has Not Burst
A frozen pipe may not have split yet, and how you thaw it matters. The National Weather Service is direct: never try to thaw a pipe with an open flame or torch. Use a hair dryer instead, and keep it away from standing water.
A pipe that has already split needs a plumber to repair it. Thawing does not fix the break, and the water will start again.
Keeping Pipes From Freezing Again
For pipes on an outside wall, the National Weather Service recommends the following (NWS Albany).
- Let hot and cold water trickle or drip at night from a faucet.
- Open cabinet doors so more heat reaches un-insulated pipes under a sink or near an outer wall.
- Leave the heat on, set no lower than 55 degrees.
- If you will be away, have someone check the house daily to make sure the heat is still on, or drain and shut off the water system (except indoor sprinkler systems).
Keeping the heat on is the foundation of that advice, and winter weather here is not rare: Dutchess County averages five to six days of freezing rain a year.
Document the Damage, Then Dry the Structure
Before anything is moved or thrown away, take photos or video of the water, the damage and the broken pipe when that is practical. Your insurer may ask for them, and the NYS Department of Health lists documentation for insurance as part of cleanup.
Water from your own plumbing is not floodwater, but the drying clock is the same. EPA advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24–48 hours where possible, because damp materials that dry in that window usually do not grow mold. That is a target worth working toward. It is not a promise that mold cannot grow, and it is not a deadline after which mold appears.
Burst pipes often leak inside walls and above ceilings, where you cannot see the water. A professional can take moisture readings to find water that is still there.
If mold turns up
On a New York mold project, H&H performs either the mold assessment or the mold remediation — never both on the same project. See mold services.
What H&H Does After a Burst Pipe
H&H Environmental has operated since 2005. For a burst-pipe loss, the work falls into these parts. Each is described as a service, not a promise about timing, because every loss is different.
Water extraction. Standing water is removed. (Emergency water extraction)
Removal of wet or damaged materials, where necessary. Materials that cannot be dried are taken out so they do not keep moisture against the structure.
Structural drying and dehumidification. The structure and the air are dried. (Structural drying)
Antimicrobial treatment. Used where it is appropriate.
Monitoring. Drying is monitored so the work continues until the structure is dry.
Documentation and insurance. We work directly with your insurance carrier and provide documentation and direct billing for covered losses. Whether a loss is covered is decided by your policy and your carrier, not by H&H. (Insurance help)
Repairing the pipe itself is plumbing work, separate from the water damage services above. The full list of what we do is on the water damage restoration page.