Brass stopcock under a kitchen sink with copper pipework

A burst pipe is the most common winter insurance claim in Ireland. The first hour decides how much damage gets done; the first day decides how the claim plays out. Here is the step-by-step that limits the damage and protects the claim.

Step 1: Turn off the mains water

Find the stopcock and turn it clockwise to off. Most Irish homes have the stopcock under the kitchen sink or in the hot press. Older houses sometimes have it in an outside meter pit at the boundary. Find yours now, before you need it.

Once the mains is off, the leak slows but does not stop entirely. Water already in the system continues to drain.

Step 2: Drain the system

Open every cold tap in the house, particularly upstairs and in the kitchen. This drains the water already in the pipes more quickly than letting it leak through the burst point. Flush the toilets too.

Switch off the immersion heater and the boiler at the wall to prevent damage from a system running dry.

Step 3: Contain the active leak

Buckets, towels, and any large containers under the leak point. Move electrical items, books, paperwork, and anything else valuable away from the affected area. If water is coming through a ceiling, place buckets directly under the heaviest drips and consider piercing the ceiling with a small screwdriver to drain a bulging area in a controlled way.

Do not stand under or near a saturated ceiling. Plasterboard collapses suddenly when wet.

Step 4: Photograph everything

Before any cleanup begins, photograph:

The burst point and surrounding pipework
The water trail across walls, ceilings, floors
Each affected room from multiple angles
Each item of damaged contents
The water level on walls and skirting (this evidences the depth of the saturation)

Date-stamped phone photographs are admissible evidence. Take 50 to 100. You will be glad of every one of them.

Step 5: Engage emergency services

In order:

A plumber to make safe and assess the burst point. Keep the receipt
A water-extraction or drying contractor if the volume is significant. Keep the receipt
An electrician if any electrics were affected. Keep the receipt

Most policies cover make-safe costs as part of the claim, but only when documented. Receipts are mandatory.

Step 6: Notify the insurer

Call the claims line or notify online. Quote the policy number, describe what happened, give the time and date. Keep the conversation factual. Do not commit to a figure or accept any informal valuation.

Step 7: Engage a loss assessor before the loss adjuster visits

The loss adjuster will be appointed by the insurer within 24 to 72 hours and will arrive on site shortly after. Before that visit, engage a loss assessor on your side. We attend the property, document the damage forensically, and prepare the claim presentation.

For the wider claim handling, see burst pipe insurance claims, water damage claims, and trace and access claims if the leak source needs investigation.

Step 8: Begin the contents inventory

Room by room, item by item:

What was damaged?
What is its replacement cost (current retail)?
Was it new-for-old or indemnity?
Photographs of each item, ideally with packaging or receipts where available

The inventory is the foundation of the contents claim.

Step 9: Do not throw anything out

The loss adjuster needs to see damaged items in situ. Even completely destroyed contents have evidential value. Wait for the adjuster’s site visit before disposing of anything.

Step 10: Track all costs

Receipts for everything: alternative accommodation if needed, eating out if the kitchen is unusable, replacement clothing if soft furnishings were affected. Most policies cover these as additional living expenses but only with documentation.

When to call a loss assessor

For any burst pipe causing damage above 5,000 euro, the loss assessor question should be considered in hours, not days. We coordinate the make-safe, the loss adjuster engagement, and the claim documentation.

The summary

Stopcock off. Drain the system. Photograph everything. Receipts for everything. Loss assessor before the loss adjuster. The first hour is the difference between a claim that settles cleanly and one that drags on.

Written by the team at N.J. Carroll & Associates, insurance loss assessors and quantity surveyors, established 1988.

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