A burst supply pipe can flood a room within minutes, and in Orlando the failures that cause the most trouble are often hidden behind walls or under slabs. Many local homes were built in decades when plumbing materials aged differently from modern pipe. This guide covers the likely causes, the first shutoff steps and the choices that follow.
Key takeaways
- Shut off the main water supply first. Every minute it runs the water spreads further, and a shutoff near the meter stops flow to the whole house.
- Homes from the 1960s to the 1980s may have aging supply or drain lines. Material and age shape the risk, and only a plumber can confirm what is in a given house.
- A burst and a slow leak leave different evidence. A burst shows as sudden water, while a slow leak shows as staining, a rising meter reading or a warm or soft floor.
- Exposed outdoor pipes and irrigation lines are the most exposed to the rare freezes that reach Central Florida, as the December 2022 freeze warning showed.
- Plumbing repairs are construction work. Confirm the permit and the license before a wall is opened.
How old is the housing stock in Orlando?
A large share of Orlando's housing was built in the 1960s and 1970s, which means many homes have plumbing several decades old. Age alone does not decide a failure, but it is the first thing to check when a line lets go.
The City of Orlando's 2021 American Community Survey summary reports that 6.4 percent of the city's housing units were built in the 1960s and 15.9 percent in the 1970s. Together that is more than one unit in five, from the decades when many homes were fitted with the supply and drain systems that owners now have to maintain.
Pine Hills, west of downtown, grew north through the 1960s and 1970s, and many homes off Silver Star Road are of that age. Sources differ on exactly when the area began, so the age of a particular house is better read from the building record than from the neighborhood name. College Park also contains bungalows and mid-century houses that may carry older plumbing, and Pine Hills has the same mix of ages.
Ask for the year the house was built and for any record of a plumbing replacement. That single fact changes which lines to inspect first, and a plumber can see what the house holds behind its walls with a camera or a pressure test.
Which pipe materials are worth asking about?
Older homes may contain galvanized steel supply pipe, cast-iron drains or polybutylene supply lines, and each ages differently. The material is for a plumber to confirm by inspection, not a conclusion to draw from the year alone.
Cast-iron drain and waste lines were common in older construction and can corrode from the inside, so a drain may fail long after the supply side looks sound. Galvanized steel supply pipe can narrow with mineral build-up over time. Polybutylene, a plastic supply pipe used in some homes of that period, is associated with failures at its fittings. Which of these is in a given house is a plumber's finding.
Supply and drain lines do not age on the same schedule. A house can have a new water heater and new fixtures and still have old drains beneath the slab or inside a wall. A leak call should therefore ask for both the supply side and the drain side to be checked, not only the repair of whatever is visible.
Do not assume that a neighbor's house has the same plumbing. Two homes built in the same year can differ, depending on when and by whom they were renovated. The honest answer is a plumber's inspection, and the homeowner's job is to ask for that inspection in writing.
What happens in a burst, and what do you shut off first?
Shut off the main water supply first, open a low faucet to drain the lines, and turn off power to the affected area if water is near it. Speed matters, because a burst supply line can put a large volume of water into a house quickly.
The main shutoff is the most useful step, because it stops flow to the whole house. Know where it is before you need it. It is often at the water meter, at the street or where the supply line enters the house, and many homes also have a separate shutoff at the water heater or at a fixture. Closing the main quickly limits the water that can spread through the floor.
Once the water is off, open a faucet on the lowest floor to relieve the remaining pressure and drain what is left in the lines. If water is standing near outlets or a panel, switch off power to that area at the breaker only if you can reach it safely, and otherwise call the utility. Then move valuables out of the wettest rooms and start photographing the damage.
After the shutoff, call (833) 490-5225 for the extraction and drying. The plumber is a separate call. Drying the house does not repair the line, and a repair does not dry the building. Ask who is coming to do each job, and whether the repair will be finished and inspected before the wall is closed.
How do you tell a slow leak from a burst?
A burst is sudden and obvious, with water arriving fast. A slow leak leaves quieter signs: a meter that keeps moving, a warm floor, a musty smell or staining that grows over weeks. Those signs point to where a plumber should look first.
A burst usually shows itself as water flowing from a pipe, a wall or a floor within minutes or hours. A slow leak can run for months before anyone notices. Watch for a water meter that keeps moving when no fixture is in use, a hot spot on a tile floor, a lifting floor covering, a damp cabinet base or a ceiling stain with no roof leak above it.
A meter test is a simple first check. Turn off every tap and appliance, note the meter reading and check it again after an hour. A change points to a leak somewhere in the supply. A plumber can then narrow the location with pressure testing or a camera, because a leak under a slab cannot be seen from the surface.
Slow leaks cause the hidden damage. Staining, soft drywall and musty air mean the water has been in the wall for some time, and the drying scope grows to match. Catching a slow leak early usually costs less than finding it after the floor has lifted.
What does a freeze mean for pipes in Central Florida?
Freezes are rare in Orlando, but they happen. The National Weather Service issued a freeze warning for Orange County on December 24, 2022, with temperatures expected between 28 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit, cold enough to threaten unprotected outdoor pipes and irrigation lines.
Temperatures in the 28 to 32 degree range are low for Central Florida, and they are enough to freeze exposed outdoor pipes, hose bibs and sprinkler lines that have no insulation or cover. The number of pipes that burst during that event is not established on this page, so the risk is described here, not counted.
Inside the house, the risk sits in exterior and garage walls, in attics and in any crawl space where a supply line runs near outside air. A supply line in an exposed wall is more likely to split in a hard freeze than one sheltered inside the building envelope. Opening cabinet doors on exterior walls and letting faucets drip during a hard freeze are common steps, although the right choice depends on the house.
Freeze damage often shows up after a thaw, when the water is already inside the wall. A burst found on the first warm day is still a burst, so the shutoff and drying steps apply in the same way.
How are repairs and replacements handled?
Repairs and replacements of supply and drain lines are construction work. The local building office generally expects a permit for many of them, and the person doing the work should hold the license the job requires under Florida's contractor rules.
Replacing a water heater, rerouting a supply line or opening a wall to reach a drain usually changes the building. Many local offices expect a permit for that kind of work and an inspection before the wall is closed. The requirement is set locally, so confirm it with the building office for the address rather than relying on a general answer.
Florida's contractor licensing sits under Chapter 489, and a plumbing or general contractor doing permanent work should hold the license that work requires. Ask the firm which license covers the repair and check the name on the state search. The drying crew and the plumber do not have to be the same firm, but each should be named in writing.
Ask for the repair to be inspected before the finish goes back on, and keep the permit and inspection record with the drying logs. An insurer or a buyer may ask for both, and the file is easier to assemble if it is kept as the work goes.
What can a homeowner do before a freeze or a failure?
Know where the main shutoff is, cover or insulate outdoor and exposed lines before a cold spell, and ask for an inspection of the oldest plumbing when a sale or renovation brings it up. Small steps prevent the largest losses.
Locate the main shutoff and test it once a year by turning it off and back on. A valve that has not moved in a decade can seize, and it is better to learn that on a quiet afternoon than during a burst. Label the shutoffs for the water heater and the main fixtures so anyone in the house can close them.
Before a forecast cold snap, cover outdoor faucets with insulated covers, disconnect hoses and protect exposed irrigation lines. If a supply line runs through the garage, keep the garage door closed during the cold, and open the cabinet doors under sinks on exposed walls so warm air reaches the pipes. These steps are simple and inexpensive compared with the damage they can prevent.
When a home is sold or renovated, ask for a plumbing inspection that looks at the supply and drain lines, not only the visible fixtures. A camera inspection of a drain can show corrosion long before it blocks the line.
Frequently asked questions
Should I call a plumber or a restoration company first?
Shut off the water first. Then call for extraction and drying, and call a plumber for the repair. They are different jobs, and each should be booked by name.
How do I know whether my pipes are polybutylene?
A plumber can identify the material by inspection. The year the house was built is a clue, but it is not an answer on its own.
Does a burst pipe always mean a claim?
Not always, and the policy decides how a burst is treated. Keep the repair invoice, the photos and a note of the time you shut off the water in one place.
Can I protect pipes from a freeze without a plumber?
Yes, for exposed outdoor faucets and hoses, insulated covers and disconnecting hoses are common steps. For lines inside walls, ask a plumber what the house needs.
Is a permit needed to replace a water heater?
It generally is, and it is expected in Orlando and Orange County, but confirm with the local building office for the address, because the rule and the fee are set locally.
Sources
This guide is general information for Orange County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.