A burst pipe in an Idaho Falls home is a genuine emergency, but it's one where the actions you take in the first 60 minutes can dramatically reduce total damage. We respond to more burst pipe calls than any other water damage emergency from January through March — and the homes that come through with the least damage are almost always the ones where the homeowner acted quickly and correctly from the first moment.
Here is exactly what to do — and what not to do — when you discover a frozen or burst pipe.
Minute 1: Shut Off the Water
Before anything else, turn off the main water supply to the house. This is the single most important action available to you. Every minute that passes with water flowing through a burst pipe is additional water saturating floors, walls, ceilings, and subfloor materials.
If you don't know where your main shutoff is, stop reading and find it right now — before you need it in an emergency. In most Idaho Falls homes, it's either in the basement, in a crawl space access, or in the utility room near the water heater. In some homes it's in a valve box outside near the foundation. Know its location before a crisis.
After shutting off the main supply, open a cold water faucet at the lowest point of the house to drain pressure from the system.
Minutes 2–10: Assess and Document
Once the water is off, take stock of what's happened:
- Where is the burst? (Which room, which wall, ceiling, or floor?)
- How much water has released? (Standing water, wet carpet, wet drywall?)
- Are any electrical outlets, panels, or appliances in or near the water?
Do not enter an area where water may have contacted electrical outlets, floor-level receptacles, or appliances until you've turned off the circuit breakers for that area. Water and electricity in the same space create electrocution risk.
Take photographs of everything — standing water, wet materials, the burst pipe location. This documentation is essential for your insurance claim and you want it captured before anything is moved or cleaned.
Minutes 10–20: Protect Your Property
- Move rugs, furniture, and valuables out of standing water if safe to do so
- If water is coming through a ceiling, put buckets to catch it and poke a small hole in the lowest point of the bulge — a controlled release prevents a larger ceiling collapse
- If the burst is in a wall or ceiling, do not attempt to open up drywall — let the professional assessment determine what needs to come out
What NOT to Do
Don't use open flame to thaw a frozen pipe. Propane torches and other open flames have caused house fires during pipe-thawing attempts. Use a hair dryer, heat lamp, or electric heating pad.
Don't use a regular shop vacuum or household vacuum on standing water. These are not designed for water and create electrical hazard.
Don't wait to see if the damage dries on its own. Structural drying requires industrial equipment. Water sitting in walls and under flooring doesn't evaporate at a rate that prevents mold — it requires active drying.
Don't delay calling a restoration professional until you've cleaned up the visible water. The most significant damage from a burst pipe is often in the materials you can't see — walls, subfloor, insulation — and professional drying equipment needs to be in place as quickly as possible.
Call Home Pride at (208) 604-4411
We respond to burst pipe emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. When you call, tell us approximately how much water was released and the general location in the home — this allows us to dispatch the right equipment for your situation.
Our team arrives with truck-mounted extractors to remove standing water immediately, industrial air movers and dehumidifiers for structural drying, and moisture meters to assess the full extent of saturation. We also help you document for your insurance claim from the first moment we arrive.
The fastest possible professional response gives you the best chance of limiting damage to a water extraction and drying job rather than a full demolition, drying, and reconstruction project. For most Idaho Falls burst pipe events, that difference comes down to how quickly the water is stopped and professional drying equipment is deployed.
