Every freeze event since Uri 2021 has produced burst-pipe damage across the metroplex. Attic-mounted plumbing in pre-2000 DFW homes is the single most vulnerable location. Call the moment you hear water running where it shouldn't.
Here's what to do — and what not to do — in the next 5 minutes. The window between the loss starting and significant structural damage is short. Every hour matters.
DFW freeze-event pipe bursts follow a predictable pattern. Texas building code permits plumbing in attics and exterior wall cavities — locations that work fine in normal Texas winters but fail catastrophically when sustained sub-freezing temperatures arrive.
The single biggest vulnerability. Most DFW homes built before 2000 have copper or PEX supply lines running through the attic — including supply to second-floor bathrooms, attic-mounted water heaters, and the laundry. Attic insulation isn't designed to keep pipes from freezing during a 5-day sub-freezing event like Uri. When pipes freeze in the attic, the burst is overhead and dumps water onto the ceiling and into wall cavities below.
Supply lines running through uninsulated exterior wall cavities are vulnerable to freezing in any sustained sub-freezing weather. These bursts present as wet drywall on exterior walls, sometimes with water tracking down to the foundation.
Plumbing in unheated garages, exterior laundry rooms, pool equipment houses, and detached buildings freeze first in any cold snap. Bursts there often go undetected until the homeowner discovers running water.
Older slab penetrations — where supply lines pass through the foundation — sometimes have minimal insulation around the penetration. Freezing at that point is less common than attic bursts but still happens.
Our IICRC-certified crew arrives with extraction equipment, structural drying gear, attic-access ladders, and moisture meters. In the first 60 minutes: water extraction from the floor below the burst, attic access to inspect the burst location and surrounding insulation saturation, moisture mapping of ceiling and wall cavities, photographic documentation for the carrier, isolation of the burst pipe area (your plumber may need to be called in to actually repair the pipe), and positioning of structural drying equipment.
Over the next 24-48 hours: extraction of saturated attic insulation if affected, controlled drying of ceiling drywall and exposed framing, antimicrobial pre-treatment, daily moisture monitoring, removal of demolished materials, contents inventory and pack-out if needed, and coordination with the insurance adjuster and your plumber. Attic insulation that absorbed water typically can't be saved — it has to be removed and replaced. Ceiling drywall that took direct water often needs replacement; framing usually can be dried in place if accessed quickly.
We bill your insurance carrier directly so your out-of-pocket cost is typically just your deductible. We work with every major Texas carrier — and the high-net-worth specialty carriers for custom-home losses.
Same-hour dispatch to all of these DFW cities plus 30+ more. Our crews are local to the metroplex — we know the neighborhoods, the building codes, the soil conditions, and the carriers.
Yes, in almost all cases. Standard homeowners covers sudden and accidental discharge from plumbing, which includes pipe bursts from freezing. The 2021 Uri event resulted in record claim volumes across DFW, and carriers paid them. Some policies have language about reasonable maintenance (turning off water and draining lines during freeze warnings) — but for most homeowners during ordinary freeze events, coverage applies. We bill the carrier directly.
Three factors usually explain different outcomes: (1) location of the plumbing — attic plumbing vs. interior-wall plumbing has very different freeze risk, (2) house insulation quality — homes with poor attic insulation cool faster, (3) whether the homeowner left a faucet trickling during the cold event. Sometimes it's also luck — pipes near the edge of failure can survive one event and fail in the next.
Best protections: insulate attic and exterior-wall plumbing with foam pipe insulation, drip faucets during sustained sub-freezing weather (flowing water doesn't freeze as easily), keep cabinet doors open in kitchens and bathrooms on exterior walls so warm interior air reaches the plumbing, maintain interior temperature above 60°F throughout the event, and if you're leaving town during a cold snap, consider shutting off the main and draining the lines.
Burst sections have to be cut out and replaced — that's basic plumbing. Whether the broader plumbing system needs repipe depends on the age and condition. If a home has had multiple bursts across different lines during a freeze event, full repipe is often more economical than spot repairs.
Single-burst loss with limited damage: 7-14 days mitigation plus 2-4 weeks reconstruction. Multiple bursts with extensive ceiling and wall damage: 3-4 weeks mitigation plus 6-12 weeks reconstruction. The Uri 2021 event produced losses that took 6+ months to fully restore for the hardest-hit homes — but those were extreme cases with multiple bursts and contents damage throughout the home.
Same-hour IICRC-certified crew dispatch. Direct insurance billing. Free on-site assessment. The longer you wait, the bigger the loss.