Flooded Home
Standing water in your home after a pipe burst? See the emergency steps for a flooded home.
What To Do Now →Burst Pipe — What To Do RIGHT NOW
Your burst pipe is actively flooding your home right now. Turn off the main water valve and call TruRenu immediately — we dispatch the same day throughout the Atlanta metro area.
Act Immediately
Do These 5 Things Immediately
Shut off your main water supply valve immediately
Find the main shutoff (usually near the water meter, in the garage, or in a utility closet). Turn it fully clockwise. This single action stops thousands of gallons from entering your home. If you cannot find it, call your water utility’s emergency line — they can guide you.
Switch off electricity at the breaker if water is near outlets
Water and electricity together are life-threatening. If flooding has reached electrical outlets, appliance cords, or the electrical panel, do not enter that area. Shut power to the affected zone at your main breaker panel and call your utility if the panel itself is compromised.
Move valuables to higher ground
Get furniture, area rugs, electronics, documents, and personal items off wet floors immediately. Place aluminum foil under furniture legs on damp flooring to prevent staining. Every item you protect now reduces the scope of your insurance claim.
Document everything before touching anything else
Take photos and video of the burst pipe, the water source, and all areas of water damage before any cleanup. Walk every affected room. This documentation is the foundation of your insurance claim and must capture the damage as-is.
Call TruRenu — 888-867-4911
Same-day response with truck-mounted extraction equipment, commercial drying systems, and moisture mapping technology. The faster we arrive, the more we can prevent — and every hour without professional drying moves you closer to mold.
Avoid These Mistakes
What NOT To Do After a Burst Pipe
These are the most common mistakes that turn a manageable water damage claim into a major mold remediation project.
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Don’t use a shop vac or household wet/dry vacuum — it removes surface water but cannot dry the structural moisture inside walls, floors, and insulation. You need industrial extraction and drying equipment.
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Don’t run fans without a moisture assessment — household fans push humid air deeper into wall cavities and can accelerate mold growth in areas you cannot see.
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Don’t apply bleach to wet materials — bleach is ineffective on porous materials like drywall and wood, and applying it to wet surfaces can actually promote mold regrowth once it evaporates.
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Don’t wait until morning or the weekend — mold begins growing in 24 to 48 hours. Every hour of delay expands the affected area and the scope of restoration.
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Don’t discard damaged materials before your insurance adjuster documents the damage — throwing away evidence can complicate or reduce your claim payout.
Our Response
What Happens When You Call TruRenu
Phone assessment
We assess your situation by phone, confirm your address, and dispatch the right crew with the right equipment immediately.
Same-day arrival
We arrive with truck-mounted extraction equipment, commercial dehumidifiers, and air movers capable of drying structural materials from the inside out.
Moisture mapping
We use thermal imaging cameras and moisture meters to locate all water — including water hidden behind walls, under floors, and inside ceiling cavities — before it becomes a mold problem.
Extraction and drying
We extract all standing water and set commercial drying equipment to bring moisture levels in all structural materials back to safe levels. This typically takes 3 to 5 days.
Insurance coordination
We photograph and document all damage, communicate directly with your insurance adjuster, and handle all claim paperwork so you do not have to navigate the process alone.
Time Is Critical
The Cost of Waiting After a Burst Pipe
Water damage restoration costs scale with time. Here is what happens to your home — and your claim — for every hour a burst pipe goes unaddressed.
- Within 1 hour
- Water travels through floor joists, saturates subflooring, and wicks up drywall. Adjacent rooms and lower levels begin to flood.
- Within 24 hours
- Mold spores begin germinating in wet materials. Drywall that might have been saved must now be replaced. Wood framing begins to swell and warp.
- Within 48 hours
- Mold growth is visible. Hardwood floors buckle. Insulation becomes saturated and must be removed entirely. Structural materials are now in the Category 2 water damage tier.
- After 1 week
- What began as a $3,000–$8,000 water extraction job may now require full drywall replacement, insulation removal, mold remediation, and flooring replacement — costs that routinely exceed $25,000.
Local Context
Burst Pipes in the Atlanta Metro Area
Georgia’s winters are mild but unpredictable. Temperatures that drop below 20°F for 24 or more hours — which happens several times each decade in the Atlanta metro area — are enough to burst supply lines in exterior walls, crawl spaces, and attics. Homes built in the 1970s and 1980s in communities like Tucker, Norcross, Decatur, and Dunwoody often have supply lines routed through exterior walls without adequate insulation, making them especially vulnerable during cold snaps.
Vacation and secondary homes near Lake Lanier — in Cumming, Buford, and Gainesville — account for a disproportionate share of burst pipe emergencies. When these homes are left unoccupied and unheated during winter cold fronts, frozen pipes can go undetected for days. By the time the owner arrives, structural water damage is extensive. TruRenu serves all of these communities and responds the same day throughout Forsyth, Hall, and Gwinnett counties.
Pipe bursts also occur year-round from causes other than freezing: aging galvanized pipes that corrode from the inside, water pressure spikes from municipal supply changes, and physical damage from renovation or tree root intrusion. Whatever the cause, the response is the same — shut the water off, get everyone safe, and call TruRenu.
Full Service Details
Water Damage Restoration in the Atlanta Metro Area
A burst pipe is a water damage emergency. TruRenu provides full water damage restoration — not just extraction — throughout the Atlanta metro area.
Serving these communities and more:
Related Emergencies
Dealing With a Related Emergency?
Sewage Backup
If the burst pipe involves a sewer line, this is a health emergency. Read the sewage backup guide.
What To Do Now →Mold Found in Home
Water damage from a burst pipe can lead to mold within 24 hours. Know what to do if you find mold.
What To Do Now →
Common Questions
Burst Pipe FAQs
Pipes burst most commonly during sudden winter cold snaps that drop temperatures below freezing for 24 or more hours — a brief but dangerous occurrence in Georgia. Homes with pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces, garages, or attics are most vulnerable. Older homes in areas like Decatur, Tucker, and Norcross with galvanized supply lines are at higher risk due to corrosion narrowing the pipe diameter. Vacation and lake homes near Cumming and Buford that are left unheated in winter account for a significant portion of burst pipe calls in the Atlanta metro area.
A burst half-inch supply line can release 50 gallons of water per minute — more than 3,000 gallons per hour if the main valve is not shut off. A fully open three-quarter-inch pipe can release over 100 gallons per minute. Even a pinhole leak in a pressurized supply line will saturate a wall cavity, soak insulation, and compromise a floor system over hours. The water main shutoff is the single most important action you can take in the first two minutes.
Yes — most standard homeowner’s insurance policies cover sudden and accidental burst pipe damage. This includes water extraction, structural drying, drywall replacement, flooring replacement, and mold remediation if mold results from the covered water event. Gradual leaks are not covered. TruRenu works directly with your insurance adjuster, documents the cause of damage to confirm it qualifies as sudden and accidental, and handles all claim paperwork on your behalf.
Mold can begin colonizing wet building materials within 24 to 48 hours of a water event. In Georgia’s humid climate, that window is even shorter in summer months. This is why professional water extraction and structural drying within the first 24 hours is critical — not just to save your materials, but to prevent a water damage claim from becoming a much more expensive mold remediation project.
Burst Pipe in the Atlanta Metro Area? Call TruRenu Now.
Same-day emergency response throughout Gwinnett, DeKalb, Forsyth, Hall, Barrow, Jackson, and Fulton counties. Direct insurance billing. One team from first call to final inspection.
888-867-4911Available 24/7 — Lawrenceville, GA