Burst pipe or burst main? What to do in Sheffield

When water appears where it should not, the first job is to work out whose pipe has burst. A burst water main in the street is Yorkshire Water’s problem. A burst pipe in your house, or in the pipe across your garden, is yours. The search “Sheffield water burst pipe” spikes every winter, and most people searching want to know which one they are looking at.

How to tell the difference

Signs it is a Yorkshire Water main:

• Water bubbling up through the road or pavement.
• Several houses in the street losing water or pressure at the same time.
• Water running down the gutter from a point in the road.
• A stop tap cover in the pavement overflowing.

Signs it is your pipe:

• Water inside the house: through a ceiling, from a wall, under a sink.
• A wet patch in your front garden or drive, inside your boundary.
• Only your house has lost water.
• Your meter spins even with every tap off.

Yorkshire Water owns the main, the stop tap in the pavement and the communication pipe up to your property boundary. You own the supply pipe from the boundary to the house and everything inside, according to its pipework guidance.

If it is a burst main

Report it to Yorkshire Water. Give the street name, the nearest house number or landmark, and whether water is getting into any homes. On a steep Sheffield street, water from a burst main can run a long way downhill before it collects, so the place where it pools may not be where the pipe has burst. Look uphill for where it first appears.

You do not need to turn your stop tap off for a burst main unless water is getting into your house. Fill a kettle and a few bottles while you still have supply, because Yorkshire Water may need to shut the main to repair it.

After a repair, your water may run cloudy or brown for a while. Run the cold kitchen tap until it clears.

If it is your pipe: the first ten minutes

1. Turn off the stop tap. In most older Sheffield terraces it is in the cellar, on the front wall. In newer homes it is usually under the kitchen sink. Our guide to finding your stop tap has more detail.
2. Turn off the electrics at the consumer unit if water is near sockets, lights or the fuse box, and only if you can reach it safely without standing in water.
3. Turn off the boiler and any immersion heater.
4. Open the cold taps to drain the pipes, and flush toilets to empty the cisterns.
5. Catch the water with buckets and towels, and move valuables away.
6. Take photos of the damage and, if you can see it, the burst itself.

Then call a plumber. Our burst pipe repair page explains what happens on the visit.

Why Sheffield pipes burst

Most domestic bursts in Sheffield happen after a freeze. Water expands as it turns to ice, and pressure builds between the ice and a closed tap until the pipe splits. The split often only shows when the ice melts, so the leak appears on the first mild morning after a cold snap.

High ground makes this more likely. The Geography of Sheffield notes that Deepcar and Stocksbridge “tend to be among the first to receive snowfall”. Homes there, and in Fulwood, Lodge Moor and Dore, see more frozen pipes than those in the city centre. Our Stocksbridge area page covers the weak spots in those stone terraces.

Other causes include old compression joints giving way, pipes damaged by drilling or nails, and very old lead or iron pipes that have worn thin.

Shared supply pipes

Some Sheffield terraces share one supply pipe across several gardens. If the burst is on a shared section, Yorkshire Water says the owners are jointly responsible for the repair. If turning your own stop tap off does not stop the water, the burst may be on the shared section before your tap, and you may need a neighbour’s stop tap or the one in the pavement.

Insurance and paperwork

For a burst in your home, contact your insurer early. Most want:

• Photos of the damage before you clean up.
• Photos of the cause, if visible.
• The plumber’s invoice saying what failed and what was done.

If the leak was on your supply pipe and you are on a meter, ask Yorkshire Water about a leak allowance. It needs the leak repaired, or reported, within 28 days.

For damage caused by a burst Yorkshire Water main, such as flooding to a cellar from the street, contact Yorkshire Water about a claim.

Stopping it happening again

After any burst, ask why it happened. If it froze, lag it. If it was an old joint, check the others. If it was lead or old iron, consider replacing the run. Our post on frozen pipes in Sheffield covers how to thaw and protect pipes in a cold snap.

If you are not sure whose pipe it is, send us a photo and tell us where the water is showing. We will tell you who to call.