Burst Pipe Water Damage in Suwanee, GA

What you can see

• Water spraying, or a steady drip, from a pipe you can see in a garage, crawl space or utility room
• The sound of running water when every tap and appliance is off
• Low pressure, or no water at all, at a tap that worked this morning
• Paint bubbling or drywall going soft along a wall that holds a water line
• A water meter that keeps moving after the house has been quiet for two hours

Around Suwanee

Gwinnett County's freezing-weather page says even a small crack can let hundreds of gallons escape in a day. Its leak page says leaks inside or outside the home are the owner's to repair.

Gwinnett's customer FAQ describes a leak adjustment on a water bill: one per 12 months, with the repair made within three months of the higher usage and the request made within three months of the repair, under the terms posted as of 1 May 2019. Ask the county for the current terms.

On site, a visit goes like this

1. Call (678) 572-1407 and say where the pipe runs and where the water went; the contractor can arrange a visit.

2. A plumber is the trade that repairs the pipe itself. The contractor looks at what the water left behind and works out where it traveled.

3. Moisture readings along the wall, the floor and the ceiling below map the spread, including water that went inside the wall.

4. Standing water comes off the floor, and wet carpet, pad or flooring is lifted where it cannot be dried in place.

5. Where drywall or insulation has taken up water, a small section is opened for a look and the contractor explains what could stay.

6. Drying equipment goes in with an explanation, along with a list of what to keep and photograph for the insurer.

What changes the size of a job

Why two burst pipes rarely add up the same

The length of time the water ran counts most, then where it went. A split under a kitchen sink reaches a cabinet floor; a split in an upstairs wall can drop through a ceiling and into the room below. Hidden wall cavities, soaked insulation and finished flooring on the lower floor each add to the list. Nothing here quotes a figure, since that follows a look at the house.

Looks you can take from dry ground

Stay with checks you can make from dry ground, in daylight, away from anything electrical that has been wet. Wet wiring and soaked drywall are professional work.

• Run the two-hour meter test from Gwinnett County's leak page: no water use at all, then see whether anything on the meter moves.
• Find the shutoff before you need it. Walk to where the line enters the house and check that the handle turns, since a stuck valve is better discovered on a calm day.
• Look at pipes along exterior walls and in the garage for beads of water, rust streaks or a bulge in the pipe.
• Photograph the wet area and the pipe before anything is cut, taped or clamped.

Moves that make it worse

Slips that make a broken pipe worse

Wading to the shutoff through water that has reached outlets. Wrapping a split with tape and walking away, since a patch can hold for an afternoon and let go at night. Opening walls to chase the water before the source is stopped. Leaving the wet floor covered with rugs that hold the water against the subfloor.

Georgia seasons and this job

Freezing nights, and who is exposed

NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for Cumming 2 N, a long-record station north of Suwanee, count 19.0 days in January and 15.2 in December when the low reached 32 degrees or colder. Garages, crawl spaces and exterior walls take the cold first. A burst from a hard freeze often goes unseen until the thaw lets the water run.

Have this at hand

Have these in mind when the call connects

• Where the pipe runs, and whether you have shut it off
• Which rooms the water reached, upstairs and down
• Whether the meter is still moving
• When it started, as closely as you can say
• Photos of the pipe and the wet area

Have the street address, the room it started in and what you can see ready, then call (678) 572-1407. If you rent, contact the landlord first. Calls cover Suwanee, Sugar Hill and Johns Creek.

Call (678) 572-1407

Before you hire anyone

Pipes, plumbers and city paperwork

A pipe repair is plumbing, and Suwanee's building page lists plumbing changes among work that has a permit. Whether a like-for-like repair counts is a question for the city. The hiring checklist lists each city's office and phone.