Why pipe leaks do more damage than they look like
A burst pipe usually sits inside a wall, above a ceiling or under the floor, so by the time you see water, it has been running somewhere you cannot. Water follows framing and wiring, pools on top of ceiling drywall, and spreads across the subfloor before it shows.
A restoration crew will:
- Use moisture meters and a thermal camera to trace how far the water went.
- Cut small openings or remove drywall to get air to wet framing and insulation.
- Pull wet insulation from walls, ceilings and the crawl space.
- Set drying equipment and check readings until the framing is back to normal.
Your plumber fixes the pipe. The restoration company dries out what the pipe soaked. Many restoration companies can recommend a plumber if you do not have one.
Find your shutoff before you need it
In a lot of Gainesville homes the main shutoff is in the crawl space or basement where the water line comes in, or in a utility closet near the water heater. There is also a valve at the meter box near the street, but that one can take a special meter wrench to turn. If you cannot find any valve and water is pouring out, call the City of Gainesville water department for help shutting it off at the meter.
When it gets cold, drip faucets on outside walls, open sink cabinets so warm air reaches the pipes, and keep the heat on in an empty house.
Pipe breaks around Gainesville and Hall County
Georgia homes are not built for long hard freezes, which is part of why a cold snap here causes so many breaks. Pipes run through crawl spaces, outside walls, attics and garages that never get much heat. Over Christmas weekend 2022, temperatures in northeast Georgia dropped close to zero, and Gainesville's water department estimated that more than 1,000 customers had a pipe break or leak at home. Local plumbers were taking hundreds of calls that weekend, and some flooded homes had to wait for adjusters before repairs could start.
Freezes are not the only cause. Older homes around downtown, Green Street, New Holland and Newtown can still have galvanized supply lines that rust from the inside and start leaking at the joints. In newer houses, the common failures are plastic supply lines to toilets and sinks, ice maker lines and washing machine hoses. Those leaks often start small and run for days behind a cabinet or under the floor.
Lake homes and second homes add another risk. A pipe that breaks in a house nobody is staying in can run for a week before a neighbor notices water coming out from under the door.
The fix is the same whatever the cause: shut off the water, get the standing water out, open up what needs opening and dry the framing before mold starts. Crews work across Gainesville's 30501, 30504, 30506 and 30507 ZIP codes and the rest of Hall County.