Burst pipe? Do these things first, in this order

The first five actions

• Turn off the internal stopcock — usually under the kitchen sink, sometimes in a downstairs cupboard, utility or cloakroom. Turn clockwise until it stops.
• If water is anywhere near electrics, light fittings or a consumer unit, switch off the electricity at the consumer unit before touching anything wet.
• Open all cold taps in the house, including the bath, to drain down the pipework and reduce what is left to escape.
• Turn the heating off. If it is a cylinder system, switch off the immersion heater as well.
• Contain what you can: buckets, towels, and if a ceiling is bulging with trapped water, put a container underneath and pierce it deliberately at the lowest point rather than letting it collapse.

Then open the hot taps too

Once the cold side is draining, open the hot taps as well. On a stored hot water system this empties the cylinder feed and reduces the volume that can escape from a hot pipe. Make sure the boiler and immersion are already off first, so nothing fires against an empty cylinder.

On a sealed heating system, if the leak is on a radiator or heating pipe rather than mains plumbing, the stopcock will not stop it — you need to isolate the radiator at its valves or drain the heating circuit from a drain-off point.

Finding your stopcock before you need it

Why pipes burst here

In this part of Scotland the overwhelming cause is freezing. Water expands as it freezes, splits the pipe, and the leak only appears when it thaws — which is why burst pipe callouts spike on the first mild day after a cold snap rather than during it.

The vulnerable places are consistent: pipework in unheated lofts, in outbuildings and garages, in underfloor voids on suspended floors, and external taps left connected to a hose over winter. Second homes and holiday lets left unheated are especially prone, and a property left cold for a fortnight in January is the classic scenario.

Preventing the next one

• Lag all pipework in lofts, garages and unheated voids with proper closed-cell insulation, including the elbows and valves people skip.
• Leave the heating running at a low background temperature rather than off entirely when the house is empty in winter.
• Insulate the cold water tank and its pipework in the loft, but leave the loft insulation out from directly beneath the tank so warmth from below reaches it.
• Isolate and drain outside taps before winter, and remove the hose.
• For a property standing empty over winter, consider draining down entirely rather than relying on frost protection.
• Know where the stopcock is, check it turns, and make sure everyone in the household knows too.

What to tell an emergency plumber

You will get a faster, better-prepared response if you can say: whether the water is off at the stopcock, where the water appears to be coming from, whether it is mains, heating or hot water, whether the electricity is safe, and whether the property is occupied.

Also useful: the property type, whether there is a cylinder or a combi, and whether you have already found a visible split. If a ceiling has come down or water is near the consumer unit, say so immediately — that changes the priority.

Insurance and evidence

• Photograph the damage before you start clearing up, including the source if you can see it.
• Keep any section of failed pipe the plumber removes.
• Notify your insurer promptly; most policies require it and many have an emergency helpline.
• Keep receipts for emergency work and for drying equipment.
• Do not strip out sodden plaster or flooring until the insurer has confirmed how they want it handled, unless it is a safety issue.

Our emergency response

We cover emergency plumbing across Kelso, Melrose, Galashiels, Duns, Coldstream, Haddington, Dunbar and the surrounding villages. In a burst pipe situation we prioritise making the property safe and watertight first — isolate, repair or cap, restore a usable supply — and then deal with the wider system afterwards.

If you are reading this with water still running, stop and turn the stopcock, then call.

Frequently asked questions

My stopcock will not turn. What now?

Do not force a seized brass stopcock to the point of snapping it. Use the external stop valve at the boundary if you can access it, or call for emergency assistance. Once the crisis is over, have the stopcock replaced with a lever valve.

Water is coming through the ceiling. Should I pierce it?

If the ceiling is bulging with trapped water, yes — deliberately releasing it into a container at the lowest point is safer than waiting for the whole ceiling to fall. Keep the electricity off while doing it.

Does turning the stopcock off stop a heating leak?

No. A sealed heating circuit holds its own water. Isolate the radiator at its valves, or drain the heating circuit from a drain-off point.

How soon after a freeze should I check for damage?

During the thaw, and specifically the first mild day. That is when splits made during the freeze start to leak, so check lofts, garages and outbuildings then.