What to Do When a Pipe Bursts: A Calgary Emergency Guide

If a pipe bursts, shut off the water first and worry about everything else second. The faster the water stops, the smaller the damage, so the single most useful thing is knowing where your main shut-off is before you ever need it.

The first ten minutes

1. Shut off the main. Usually in the basement near where the water enters, or at the meter. Turn it clockwise until it stops.
2. Open a low tap. Draining the lines takes pressure off the break.
3. Kill power to the area if water is near outlets or the panel.
4. Call. Burst pipes jump ahead of scheduled work.

Before winter

Most burst-pipe calls in Calgary come from freezing. Knowing your shut-off and keeping vulnerable pipes from freezing prevents most of them in the first place.

Call for an emergency repair