TL;DR: If a pipe bursts in your Abilene home, shut off the main water valve immediately, then make two calls: a licensed plumber to stop the leak at its source, and a water damage restoration company to start extraction and drying. Both need to happen within hours, because standing water that sits past 24 to 48 hours risks warped flooring, ruined drywall, and mold growth under the IICRC S500 drying standard.
You heard a pop from under the kitchen sink, or saw water bubbling through the ceiling after a cold snap, and now it’s spreading across the floor faster than towels can keep up. In Abilene, this happens most during hard freezes when pipes in exterior walls or unheated garages split, and during the sudden thaw that follows. You don’t have time to research. Here’s exactly what to do, in order.
What do you do in the first 60 seconds?
Shut off the water at the main valve, not just the fixture, because a split pipe can keep spraying even with the faucet closed. The main shutoff is usually near the water meter or where the line enters the house, often in a closet, garage, or exterior wall.
Next, cut power to the affected area at the breaker if water is near outlets, switches, or light fixtures, never by touching a wet switch. Move anything you can lift off the floor, electronics, rugs, boxes, and open a window if the weather allows it to start air movement. Don’t run a shop vac on standing water near an outlet until the breaker is off.
If the water is coming from a ceiling or upper floor, place a bucket under the worst spot and, if you can safely reach it, punch a small relief hole at the lowest point of the sag to let water drain in a controlled spot instead of collapsing the drywall on its own.
Who do you call first, a plumber or a restoration company?
Call both, back to back, because they solve two different problems. A licensed plumber stops the water at its source. A water damage restoration company removes the water already inside your walls, floors, and furniture and starts the structural drying clock before mold has a chance to establish.
Waiting for the plumber to finish before calling a restoration crew is the most common mistake homeowners make. Drying needs to start the same day, ideally within hours, not after the repair is scheduled for tomorrow. Here in Abilene, Air Care Restoration handles that second half, the extraction, moisture mapping, and structural drying, while your plumber handles the pipe itself. They’re licensed and insured, hold IICRC Water Restoration Technician (WRT) certification, and run on a 24/7 schedule, so you don’t have to wait until business hours to get a crew moving.
If you’re not sure which to call first because you can’t tell if the plumber has reached the shutoff, call the restoration line immediately. A good crew will tell you over the phone whether your situation needs water stopped before they can start, and can often coordinate directly with your plumber on timing.
What happens in the first 24 hours after a burst pipe?
The first 24 hours determine whether your home dries clean or starts growing mold behind the walls. A restoration crew’s first visit focuses on stopping further damage, not rebuilding yet.
That visit typically includes:
- Extraction of standing water with truck-mounted or portable pumps
- Moisture mapping with a penetrating meter to find water that’s traveled into walls, subfloor, or cabinetry
- Containment of the affected rooms if water reached multiple levels
- Removal of materials that can’t be dried, like soaked carpet pad or swollen baseboard
- Placement of air movers and low-grain refrigerant (LGR) dehumidifiers, set and monitored daily until moisture readings return to normal
Drying usually runs three to five days depending on how far the water traveled and what materials absorbed it. Our burst pipe emergency checklist covers the same first-hour steps in more detail if you want a printable version, and our first 24 hours guide walks through the documentation to collect while the crew works.
Will homeowners insurance cover a burst pipe in Abilene?
Most standard homeowners policies cover sudden, accidental water damage from a burst pipe, but they typically exclude damage from a leak that was gradual or went unnoticed for weeks. The distinction matters because it determines whether your claim gets approved.
Document everything before cleanup starts: photos of standing water, the burst pipe itself if visible, and any damaged belongings. The Insurance Information Institute outlines what a standard policy typically pays for, and the Texas Department of Insurance has a plain-language page specific to Texas coverage patterns, including when mold that develops afterward is and isn’t covered. A restoration company’s moisture logs and drying records become part of your claim file, so keep copies of everything they provide.
If you’re still in the middle of this right now, stop reading and make the calls. Call Air Care Restoration at (325) 339-8723 to get a crew started on extraction and drying while your plumber handles the repair, that’s the fastest path to a home that dries clean instead of one that ends up with a mold remediation bill on top of the water damage.
For the broader picture of what a full restoration job looks like once the emergency phase ends, see Who to Call for Water Damage Restoration in Abilene, TX and Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Water Damage?