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Burst Pipe Checklist: The First 10 Minutes

Pick what is happening and get the steps in order, then print the fridge card and fill in your valve location and phone numbers before the next emergency.

Show My Steps

Reviewed October 24, 2026 · Free to use · Bookmark it for next time

Copper water pipe rising from a wet basement floor along a stone foundation wall
  • 2 valvesGrand Rapids requires a shutoff on each side of the water meter
  • 55°Flowest heat setting when away in cold weather (Red Cross)
  • No flamenever thaw a pipe with a torch or open flame (Red Cross)
  • 45 daysto file a written sewer backup claim with Grand Rapids

What Is Happening Right Now?

Pick the problem and your town. The steps appear in the order to do them, with the right number to call for problems on the street side. Your choice stays in this browser for next time.

The problem
Adds who handles water problems on the street side.

The First 10 Minutes, Step by Step

The order stays the same for every water emergency: people, then the water, then the water heater and power, then records and calls. The Grand Rapids Water System rules put a shutoff valve on each side of the meter so an owner stops the water in seconds.

Water spraying from a split joint on a copper pipe in a dark basement

Smell gas? Leave the building first. Call 911 from outside, then the gas utility: DTE Energy's 24/7 Gas Leak Hotline is (800) 947-5000 and Consumers Energy's gas emergency line is 800-477-5050. Skip light switches and phones inside.

Water near electricity? Consumers Energy tells owners not to enter where water has risen above the outlets and not to switch off a panel box in a basement already holding water. The utility or an electrician cuts the power instead.

  1. 1

    Get People Safe

    Move everyone away from the water, the panel box and any gas smell. Safety calls come before any valve.

  2. 2

    Shut the Main Water Valve

    Close the valve on the house side of the water meter all the way. Leave the curb stop alone; inside Grand Rapids only Water System staff operate it.

  3. 3

    Shut Down the Water Heater

    Rheem's electric heater manual says not to run the heater with the cold supply valve closed or the tank partly empty, so switch off its breaker. On a gas heater, follow the “To Turn Off Gas to Appliance” steps on the tank's label. A heater that sat in floodwater stays off until a qualified technician checks it.

  4. 4

    Keep Electricity and Water Apart

    Unplug nothing while standing in water. Switch off a reachable panel only from a dry spot; a panel in a flooded basement goes to the utility or an electrician, and an electrician re-energizes the wiring afterward.

  5. 5

    Open Faucets to Relieve Pressure

    Open a faucet on the lowest floor to drain the water left in the pipes. On a frozen line, keep that faucet open while thawing.

  6. 6

    Document Before Cleanup

    Photograph the failed pipe, the water line on walls and every damaged item, and keep receipts. Grand Rapids asks for photos of the damage and the cause with any sewer backup claim.

  7. 7

    Make the Calls

    Call a plumber for anything past the meter. Inside Grand Rapids, call 311 or (616) 456-3000 for a city-side leak or a meter valve that will not close. Call the insurer to report the loss.

Your Printable Fridge Card

Print this card, fill in the blanks by hand, and tape it inside a kitchen cabinet or on the fridge. Nothing typed here is saved or sent; the blanks stay blank until you write in them.

Water Emergency: First 10 Minutes

  1. Smell gas? Leave. Call 911 from outside, then the gas company.
  2. Water near outlets or the panel box? Stay out.
  3. Shut the main water valve at the meter.
  4. Switch off the water heater.
  5. Open a low faucet to drain the pressure.
  6. Photograph the damage before cleanup.
  7. Call the plumber, then the insurer.

Main water shutoff valve is located

Water utility (24-hour number)

Gas utility (leak line)

Plumber

Electric utility or electrician

Insurance company and phone

Policy number

Frozen pipe: keep the faucet open, warm it with a hair dryer or heating pad, never an open flame. Sewage backup: stop all water use. From grandrapidsmichiganplumber.com/tools/burst-pipe-checklist/

Older couple smiling with coffee mugs in their kitchen
A card on the fridge puts the valve location and phone numbers in front of everyone in the house, including guests and sitters.

Find Your Main Shutoff Before You Need It

The main shutoff sits at the water meter, where the service line enters the house. Grand Rapids Water System rules require a valve before the meter and a valve after it, and the owner maintains both.

Grand Rapids water service layout The water main in the street feeds the curb stop, operated only by Water System staff. The owner's service line runs to an inlet valve, the city-owned meter, then an outlet valve, the house-side main shutoff the owner closes in an emergency. Main Curb stop City staff only Foundation wall Inlet valve Meter City-owned Outlet valve Close this one Owner's service line To the house
Woman smiling in an unfinished basement beside exposed pipes and a wall-mounted utility box
Most homes

Basement or Utility Room

The meter and its two valves usually sit inside, in the basement or utility room, where the service line comes through the foundation. Grand Rapids requires the meter in a secure, heated spot on properties with an accessory dwelling unit.

Man in hearing protection inspecting copper pipes and a valve along a basement wall
Test it

Turn It Once a Year

A valve that will not turn, or turns without stopping the water, becomes its own emergency. Testing both meter valves once a year confirms they close fully. Tag the house-side valve so anyone finds it fast.

Other setups

Meter Pits and Private Wells

Where the Grand Rapids Water System requires an outside meter pit, the pit sits on private property and the owner builds and maintains it. Homes on private wells, common in parts of Cascade Township, Algoma Township and Caledonia, own the whole water system, so the shutoff location varies by house.

Walk the house with a plumber at the next visit and mark the valve on the fridge card.

Frozen Pipe Thawing: Do's and Don'ts

A faucet that gives only a trickle in cold weather points to a frozen pipe, according to the American Red Cross. Ice splits the pipe while frozen, and the split leaks once the ice melts, so the main valve location matters before thawing starts.

Frost-covered outdoor faucet on a house wall with a drop of water hanging from the spout

Do

  • Keep the faucet open; running water helps melt the ice.
  • Wrap an electric heating pad around the pipe.
  • Use an electric hair dryer.
  • Run a portable space heater kept away from flammable materials.
  • Wrap the pipe in towels soaked in hot water.
  • Apply heat until full water pressure returns, then check every other faucet.

Don't

  • Use a blowtorch.
  • Use a kerosene or propane heater.
  • Use a charcoal stove.
  • Use any other open flame device.

No open flame, ever. The Red Cross lists the blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove and every other open flame device as off-limits for thawing pipes. When the frozen area cannot be found, cannot be reached or will not thaw, the Red Cross says to call a plumber.

Grand Rapids charges the property owner when a water meter freezes: $225 for a 3/4-inch meter plus a $75 meter set fee under the 2026 Water System fee schedule. A meter in a heated corner, away from drafts and exterior walls, avoids that bill.

Prepare Before Winter

Tick each task as you finish it; the ticks stay saved in this browser, so the list picks up where you left off next fall. The steps come from the American Red Cross frozen-pipe guidance and the Grand Rapids Water System rules. A warm forecast changes little: every Grand Rapids winter on record has had a night at 10°F or colder.

Two-story house with a snow-covered lawn and bare trees at sunset
Four adults standing together and smiling in an unfinished basement with exposed joists
Show everyone in the house where the main valve is and how it closes, before winter arrives.

The burst and frozen pipe repair page covers what a plumber does once the water is off.

Common Questions

Where Is The Main Water Shutoff In A Grand Rapids Home?

The main shutoff sits at the water meter, usually in the basement or utility room. Grand Rapids Water System rules require a valve on each side of the meter, so the owner closes the house-side valve without waiting for the city. Some properties have an outside meter pit instead, which sits on private property.

Can I Turn Off The Curb Stop Myself?

No, not inside the Grand Rapids Water System. Only Water System staff operate the curb stop, and the city bills unauthorized operation, including by contractors, at double the water rate plus a penalty. Call city Customer Service at 311, or (616) 456-3000, when the meter valves fail.

What Do I Do With The Water Heater When The Main Valve Is Off?

Switch it off. Rheem's electric water heater manual says not to turn the heater on when the cold water supply valve is closed or the tank is not full. For a gas heater, follow the “To Turn Off Gas to Appliance” steps on the tank's label. A heater that sat in floodwater stays off until a qualified service technician checks it.

How Do I Thaw A Frozen Pipe Safely?

Keep the faucet open and warm the pipe with an electric heating pad, an electric hair dryer, a portable space heater kept away from anything flammable, or towels soaked in hot water. The Red Cross says never to use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove or other open flame device. Call a plumber when the frozen spot is out of reach or will not thaw.

What Comes First When Sewage Backs Up Into The Basement?

Stop all water use: no flushing, laundry, dishwasher or showers. People and pets stay out of the water, and power to the wet area stays off; when the panel box itself sits in standing water, the utility or an electrician cuts the power. Inside Grand Rapids, a written claim to the city goes in within 45 days of discovery.

Related Services and Guides

Sources and How This Tool Works

The steps follow the order in the site's Emergency Plumbing guide: people first, then the water, then power and gas, then records and calls. Valve and curb stop rules come from the Grand Rapids Water System Rules and Regulations (2026); thawing and winter steps quote the American Red Cross; water heater steps follow the manufacturers' owner's manuals; electrical steps follow Consumers Energy's flood safety guidance. The town picker reads each town's utility notes from this site's verified town data.

General information for Grand Rapids-area properties, reviewed October 24, 2026. Rules, rates and programs change; the linked source's current version controls. Safety steps are general information; follow 911, your utility and your appliance's own instructions when they differ. Insurance steps cover records only and say nothing about what a policy pays.

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