Burst and frozen pipe water damage in Little Rock
A pipe that freezes usually splits quietly. The water comes when it thaws, often while everyone is at work or asleep.
A referral service, not a contractor. Your callback request is passed to an independent restoration company that works your part of central Arkansas. Riverstage does not perform the extraction, drying or repairs.
If a pipe just burst
- Close the main valve. Central Arkansas Water's FAQ says the utility keeps no record of where your house valve is, and that homes should have a shutoff valve outside the meter box that turns off water to the whole structure. The valve on the meter itself is for utility crews.
- Open a faucet on the bottom floor of the house to drain the lines once the main is closed.
- Turn off the water heater if it is gas or electric and the hot side is what failed. Follow the maker's label.
- Keep away from wet ceilings. A ceiling holding water can come down. Poke nothing; stay out from under it.
- Call a plumber for the pipe and a restoration company for the water. They are usually different businesses.
The cold snaps Little Rock remembers
The National Weather Service office in Little Rock recorded −1°F at Little Rock on February 16, the first reading at or below zero in February since 1951 and the coldest since December 23, 1989. The high on the 15th was only 14. Snow covered the ground from February 15 through 22, and the month's 20.3 inches made it the snowiest month on record. NWS reported 11.8 inches on February 17 alone.
The NWS logged a wind chill of −20°F at Little Rock Adams Field early on December 23, 2022, and −16°F at Benton. That same day the cold froze a Summit Utilities regulator station in the Rock Creek area of west Little Rock, cutting gas to about 100 customers until crews restored it.
NWS Little Rock describes the late-December 2000 storm as one of the largest ice storms in recorded history in the state, one that shut Arkansas down through the end of the year.
Sources: NWS Little Rock public information statements of Feb. 28, 2021 and Dec. 23, 2022, and its Christmas weather history page; Summit Utilities news releases, Dec. 23, 2022. Links in the river, creek and freeze guide.
Where pipes freeze in these houses
Benton Utilities notes that winter temperatures here average above freezing, so a long hard freeze finds the weak spots: supply lines in outside walls, pipes running through an unheated garage, lines in a vented crawl space, and anything in the attic. Pipes on a north wall get the least warmth.
A split in a crawl space line can run for hours before anyone notices, because the water drains onto the soil under the house. If the bill or the meter says water is moving and you can't see a leak, look under the house. The crawl space page covers what to look for.
Before the next hard freeze
Benton Utilities publishes a freeze checklist that applies anywhere in the area:
- Shut off outside valves, disconnect hoses and drain the outside lines.
- Let a trickle of hot and cold water drip, without running water into a drain line exposed to the cold.
- Open cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks.
- Heat unused rooms that have plumbing, especially on a north wall.
- Insulate pipes in the garage and crawl space; use heat tape or thermostat-controlled cables on exposed pipes.
- Seal air leaks around doors and windows.
What the pipe and the cleanup can cost
The plumbing repair and the water damage are billed separately. National cost guides give these ranges; your bill depends on where the pipe is and how far the water went.
| Item | National range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Repairing a burst pipe | $150 – $250 per linear ft | HomeGuide |
| Burst pipes and plumbing repair | $1,000 – $4,000 | HomeAdvisor |
| Installing new pipes | $350 – $2,000 | HomeAdvisor |
| Drywall repair | $300 – $850 | HomeAdvisor |
| Ceiling repair | $450 – $1,600 | HomeAdvisor |
Links and more ranges in the full cost breakdown. Get written estimates.
Pipe questions
The pipe is fixed. Do I still need the walls dried?
If water ran inside a wall cavity or soaked the subfloor, yes. Drywall can look dry on the face while the back and the framing stay wet, and the EPA's 24 to 48 hour window for mold applies to what you can't see as well. More on that in drying before mold starts.
Should I turn the water back on to check?
Only once the broken section has been repaired, and with someone watching the spot. A thawing line can have more than one crack.
Is the leak at the meter my problem?
Central Arkansas Water maintains the meter and about 1 to 2 feet of pipe on the house side of it. Leaks past that point are the owner's plumbing. Report a meter or street leak to the utility at 501-377-1239.