A burst pipe pushes clean water into a house at full line pressure, often several gallons a minute, until someone closes a valve. In Boulder, most bursts happen during a cold snap: water freezes in a pipe that runs through an exterior wall, a garage, or a crawlspace, pressure builds behind the ice, and the pipe splits. Many people don't find out until the thaw, when the water starts moving again.
Crews handle water damage claims from every major carrier, including:
Insurers are named for reference only. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by any insurance company.
Supply-line water starts out clean, which is the best case for restoration. Drywall, insulation, and subfloor can often be dried in place if extraction starts within the first day. Wait two or three days and the same water is treated as gray water, with more tear-out and antimicrobial treatment.
Water category:Category 1 (clean water) when caught early
Step 1
The crew uses pin and pinless moisture meters and a thermal camera to trace how far the water traveled inside walls and under floors, which is usually farther than the visible stain.
Step 2
Truck-mounted or portable extractors pull standing water out of carpet, pad, and subfloor so drying equipment can work.
Step 3
Only materials that can't be dried, such as soaked insulation or swollen baseboard, come out. Drywall is often cut in a straight line about two feet up to open the wall cavity.
Step 4
LGR dehumidifiers and air movers are set up to IICRC S500 guidance, with readings taken daily until every material reaches its dry standard, typically in three to five days.
Step 5
Photos, moisture logs, and an Xactimate estimate go to you and your adjuster, so the claim reflects what was actually wet.
Local notes
Boulder's freeze-thaw swings are hard on plumbing. Chinook winds can warm a January afternoon into the 50s before a hard freeze that night, and pipes in exterior walls, garages, and crawlspaces take the worst of it. Older homes in Mapleton Hill and University Hill often have supply lines in poorly insulated outside walls, and many split-level homes in Table Mesa and Martin Acres run lines through crawlspaces.
Insurance
A burst pipe is the textbook covered loss on a standard HO-3 homeowners policy: sudden and accidental discharge of water from a plumbing system. Drying, tear-out to reach the leak, and repairs are typically covered after your deductible. The broken section of pipe itself usually is not, and freeze damage can be denied if the home was left unheated without the water shut off and drained.
Read the Colorado water damage insurance guideNo honest company can price this over the phone. These are the things the crew measures on site. Read the full cost guide.
Get a crew out to inspect it
An IICRC-certified crew measures the damage, explains the scope, and documents it for your insurer. You decide whether to go ahead.
(720) 806-6511Or estimate your drying scope firstShut off the water yourself, then call both. The plumber fixes the pipe; the restoration crew removes the water and dries the structure. Drying is the time-sensitive part, so don't wait for the repair to be finished before getting extraction started.
Often, yes. If the water was clean and drying starts within about 24 to 48 hours, drywall that hasn't swollen or lost strength can usually be dried in place. Insulation behind it is often removed because it holds water.
Keep the heat at 55°F or higher, open sink cabinets on exterior walls during cold snaps, let those faucets drip, disconnect garden hoses, and insulate pipes in crawlspaces and garages. If you'll be away for more than a couple of days in winter, shut off the main.
