Burst Pipe Repair in San Francisco

Because the cause is corrosion, not ice. Galvanized steel supply lines from the post-1906 building boom corrode internally over decades until the wall thins enough to perforate. The result is a pinhole leak rather than a dramatic split, often spraying inside a wall for weeks before anything shows. Copper fails too, usually from water chemistry or high velocity at bends.

If the pipework is original galvanized, a first pinhole is rarely the last. The rest is the same age and corroding at the same rate, so spot repairs tend to become a sequence, each with its own opened wall and call-out fee. Repair to get water back on, then get a repipe quote and plan it rather than waiting for the third failure.

An accessible section in an open basement or a garage can often be done in one to three hours. A pipe inside a finished wall takes longer because access has to be cut, the repair made, and the section pressure tested before anything closes. Half a day is realistic for in-wall work, more if several fixtures are affected.

Opening the wall is usually unavoidable for concealed pipework. Standard practice in this trade is to make the plumbing repair and leave the opening clean and square, with drywall, texture, and paint handled separately. Confirm that split before work starts, because assuming the finish work is included is a very common source of dispute.

Sudden and accidental failures are commonly covered, including the resulting water damage, though the pipe itself sometimes is not. Gradual seepage and damage from a leak that went unaddressed are usually excluded. Photograph everything before any work starts and keep the removed section of pipe, because it is evidence about whether the failure was sudden.

Copper is rigid, long-lived, and the traditional choice, with higher material and labour costs. PEX is flexible, faster to install with fewer joints, and generally cheaper, which matters in a building where every run means opening a wall. Both are code-compliant. Ask which your contractor proposes and why for your specific building.

Supply lines are pressurised, so a failure sprays or runs continuously whether or not anyone is using water. Drains only leak when something upstream is running, so the water appears after a shower or when a sink empties. Shutting the main tells you quickly: if it stops, it is supply; if it continues when a fixture is used, it is drainage.

A tiny perforation releasing a fine spray or steady weep, usually inside a wall or under a floor. It is worse than an obvious burst for one reason: nobody finds it. A burst gets fixed within the hour. A pinhole holds the surrounding material at exactly the moisture level that supports rot and mould for weeks, so the damage is often far more expensive than the repair.