The first ten minutes: water off, power safe, belongings up
Water is moving faster than you are, so act first and call second. Our 24/7 line is open, and these are the steps to take while you wait.
Close the house main
The valve is usually where the supply line enters the house. Turn it fully, then open the lowest faucet to drain the pipes. If it will not turn, say so on the call.
Make the power safe
If water is near outlets, appliances or the panel, do not wade in. Switch off breakers only from dry floor. Otherwise leave it to dispatch.
Lift what water will ruin
Move rugs, electronics and cardboard up, and raise furniture onto blocks. Use a wet vacuum only if it is rated for water.
Take photos before you mop
Shoot the break, the wet walls and the damaged items. With the main off and lines drained, switch the water heater off too.
Night and weekend calls reach the same dispatch line. After-hours visits are for water still flowing or reaching finished rooms. A contained break with the main closed can often move to a same-day appointment when available.
What happens when the plumber arrives
You do not need to stand at the break to follow the repair. This is the usual order of work.
Confirm the water is off and find the source
The plumber checks that your shutoff holds, opens the area around the break and traces the pipe back to dry, sound material.
Isolate the damaged run
Valves or temporary caps let the rest of the house keep water while the broken section is out of service.
Cut out and replace the damaged section
A burst section is cut back to solid pipe, and new pipe and the right fittings go in. Matching the material correctly matters more than speed.
Pressure test and review
The line is tested before anything is closed up. The plumber says whether the rest of the pipe looks likely to fail. Drying and wall repair are other trades.
Water still flowing?
Close the house main, then call. Tell dispatch what is spraying and whether the shutoff held.
Broken pipe, failed supply valve or service line: telling them apart
Where the water appears tells you which problem you have, and it decides who needs to be called.
Spray at a sink or toilet
A failed supply valve or stop shows as water at one fixture. Closing the stop under the fixture may end it. If the valve will not close, shut the main.
Water through a wall or ceiling
A split pipe inside the structure. Shut the main and expect an opening in drywall to reach it.
Soggy ground between meter and house
The line from the meter to the house is the likely culprit. A wet patch, bubbling water or a sunken strip in the yard all point there.
Water at the water heater
Connectors and supply pipes at a tank in a garage or attic can fail. A leaking tank itself is a water heater job. If the meter also runs with taps closed, see our leak detection page.
Pipe material, how it fails, and the usual repair
The repair depends on what the pipe is made of, so tell dispatch what you can see. We cannot identify a pipe material over the phone.
| Pipe material | How it tends to fail | Usual repair choice |
|---|---|---|
| Copper | Pinholes from corrosion, split from physical damage, failed soldered joints | Cut out the damaged section and join new pipe with proper fittings |
| PEX (flexible tubing) | Damage at fittings, kinks, or physical punctures | Replace the damaged piece, usually with crimp or expansion fittings |
| Galvanized steel | Rust from the inside, leaks at threads, low pressure before the break | Repairs are short-lived, so a larger section or repipe is often the better call |
| Polybutylene (grey flexible plastic) | InterNACHI reports certain disinfectants can make it flake apart | A repair may not hold, so plan a repipe |
InterNACHI says polybutylene was made from 1978 to mid-1995 and is often grey and stamped PB2110. The city's 2002 housing element says almost 88 percent of Ocoee homes were built after 1970, so check under your sinks.
The line between the meter and your house: who handles which side
The City of Ocoee's service form says the city maintains the meter and the delivery system up to and including the meter. The customer maintains the delivery system and fixtures from the meter to and including the house. A burst on your side is your repair. A break at or before the meter belongs to the city.
Which side is the break on?
Close your house shutoff and watch the meter, which the EPA says is usually underground near the curb. If it stops, the break is inside. If it keeps moving, the break is on the buried line you own.
For the meter itself, call Utilities at 407-905-3159. The city lists 407-428-5766 as its after-hours emergency line, but its page does not say that number is for main breaks.
Before anyone digs
Florida law requires a Sunshine 811 call at least two full business days before digging. Replacing a long run rearranges pipes, so ask the Building Division whether new pipe work needs a permit. The city's 2024 lead inventory found no lead or galvanized service lines needing replacement. That covers the city side, not your house piping.
What shapes the price of a burst pipe repair
Emergency work and planned work are priced differently. These are the factors we weigh.
A burst pipe is usually sudden and accidental, so a homeowners policy may respond to the resulting water damage. It typically does not pay to replace the broken pipe itself or for wear and gradual leaks. Call your insurer, keep your photos and ask what it needs.
Storms, cold nights and water pressure in Ocoee
Three local pressures stress pipes here.
Hurricanes and fallen trees
NWS Melbourne's Hurricane Charley report notes widespread house damage mostly from fallen trees. Its Milton narrative cites 4 to 8 inches of rain and street flooding in Orange County. No report we found counts burst pipes in Ocoee, so after a storm, check the meter with all water off and walk the yard for soft ground.
Cold snaps are rare but real
NWS Melbourne documented record-cold days in January 2010. Freezes are infrequent here, so attic pipes and outdoor spigots are usually unprotected. Before a forecast freeze, cover spigots and find your shutoff.
Heated water expands
The Florida Building Code requires thermal expansion control where a storage water heater's cold supply passes through a check valve, pressure reducing valve or backflow preventer. We cannot say which Ocoee homes have one. If a relief valve drips or pipes bang, have it checked, since pressure spikes stress joints.
Purple pipe is not drinking water
Ocoee's reclaimed water ordinance describes reclaim pipe and meter boxes as purple. A broken purple pipe in a yard is irrigation. Call Utilities at 407-905-3159 and never connect it to house plumbing.
We work across the area, including the nearby Winter Garden side, and the steps on this page apply the same way.
Burst pipe questions from Ocoee homeowners
Yes. Dispatch runs through the night and on weekends for water that is still flowing or reaching finished rooms. Close the main and lift belongings while you wait.
We do not promise an arrival time. A contained break with the main closed can often move to a same-day appointment when available.
Under the city's service form, Ocoee maintains the system up to and including the meter, and the customer maintains the system from the meter to the house, including fixtures. A buried line break on the house side is normally the owner's repair.
If you are not sure which side the break is on, call Utilities at 407-905-3159.
Shut your house main, then call a plumber for anything on your side of the meter. Call the city for the meter or anything before it. Ocoee Utilities lists 407-905-3159 and an after-hours emergency line of 407-428-5766.
The city's page does not say that after-hours line is specifically for main breaks. Orange County Utilities numbers apply only to county customers, such as Forest Lake Estates.
Often it is a failed supply valve or connector. Turn the small stop valve under the fixture. If it will not close, shut the main and call.
Ocoee lists plumbing among permitted work. The Florida Building Code exempts repairing a pipe leak that does not replace or rearrange pipes. A larger replacement may need a permit.
Ask the Building Division at 407-905-3104 when the scope is unclear.