Water removal and drying when a freeze splits a supply line in an attic, exterior wall or hose bib.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
A frozen pipe usually splits while it is ice and leaks when it thaws, so the flood often arrives on the warm-up. Shut off the main water valve, keep clear of wet ceilings and outlets, and call Celina Water Damage Restoration. A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available. A plumber repairs the split line.
In North Texas, a hard freeze is rare enough that many homes are not built to take one. DFW Airport sees roughly a month of freezing days in a typical year, with the average last freeze in mid-March and the first in late November. Most of those nights are shallow, and pipes cope. The occasional multi-day deep freeze is what catches a house out.
Ice does not usually break a pipe by itself. It blocks the line, pressure builds between the ice and a closed faucet, and the pipe splits. You may not see water until the temperature climbs and the ice melts. Then the split opens, and water pours out inside an attic, a wall or the garage, often while the household is asleep or away.
That is the call here. The restoration crew extracts the water, finds where it went, removes insulation and drywall that cannot dry and runs equipment until readings come down. The pipe itself is a plumber's repair, and a plumber may be in short supply after a freeze, so putting your name on the list early keeps the drying from waiting on the repair.
Close the main water valve first, then open the lowest and highest taps to drain the lines. Stay out from under wet ceilings, keep away from outlets and fixtures that water is running through, and take photos. Call a plumber for the pipe and (833) 490-5225 for the water.
If water is falling through a light fixture or a ceiling fan, leave the room. Cut power at the panel only if you can reach it while standing on dry ground, and call the electric utility if you cannot.
Move furniture and valuables out of the way if it is safe, and lift wet rugs. Do not try to melt a frozen pipe with a torch or open flame. Warm, slow thawing is safer, and a split pipe will leak when it thaws regardless.
Ice inside a pipe plugs it and raises the pressure between the plug and a closed tap, which splits the pipe. The split stays sealed by ice until it melts. That means a house can look fine on a frozen morning and flood by afternoon, often when no one is watching.
This is why the first warm day after a freeze deserves attention. Walk the house, check the attic, the garage and the ceiling, and look at your water meter. If it moves with everything off, a line has split.
If you are travelling, a neighbor who knows where the main valve is can save the house. A home left unheated and unattended through a freeze is the situation where a split line can run the longest before anyone sees it.
The February 2021 winter storm brought DFW to a low of minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit, the second-coldest temperature on record there. Widespread power outages and burst pipes followed across Texas. Reports on how long freezing lasted disagree, so no hour count is given here. The lesson is that rare does not mean never.
Homes here are built for mild winters, and pipes in attics, exterior walls and garages often have little protection. During that storm many people lost power as well as heat, which is a harder situation than a cold snap alone.
Damage in Celina specifically was not recorded for this page, so take it as a regional reference. The practical points are to know your main valve, insulate exposed lines and plan for a thaw as well as a freeze. The freeze and burst pipes guide goes through preparation.
As soon as the water is stopped. The EPA advises drying water-damaged materials within 24 to 48 hours to limit mold, but that is a guideline, not a deadline. Mold can grow in damp insulation or drywall even if it is later dried, so a musty smell afterward deserves attention.
Cold air slows evaporation, so a frozen-pipe job can need more equipment time than the same leak in summer. An attic that is cold overnight and warms by day can also hold moisture in insulation for longer than you expect.
If mold is suspected, Texas licenses mold assessors and remediators separately through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. See mold inspection and mold remediation for what each step involves.
Do not use an open flame, a propane torch or a high-heat gun to thaw a pipe, and do not enter a wet attic. Keep away from any fixture or outlet that water is running through, and turn off power at the panel only if you can reach it standing on dry ground.
The main valve is closed and taps are opened to drain what is left in the lines. The crew confirms that water has stopped before setting up. If the main is frozen or seized, the water utility or a plumber is called.
A split in an attic line wets insulation and the ceiling below, while one in an exterior wall can run down the framing. Meters and a thermal camera trace the path through ceilings, walls and the garage.
Standing water is extracted. Saturated insulation and drywall that has sagged or softened are removed, with your approval, so the framing can dry. Attic work is done carefully to avoid stepping through a wet ceiling.
Air movers and dehumidifiers go in, and small drying ports let air into wall and ceiling cavities. Cold weather slows drying, so the crew re-checks readings until the framing is back to a dry reference.
You receive photos and moisture readings for your insurer. Ceiling, insulation, drywall and paint repairs are quoted separately after drying.
Lines that run through an attic, especially along an outside wall or beneath thin insulation, are among the first to freeze. When one splits, water drops through insulation and ceiling drywall, and the damage can spread through several rooms below.
Pipes in an outside wall, a garage or a water heater closet face the coldest air in the house. A hose bib left connected to a hose can freeze back into the wall and split inside it, where the leak runs unseen.
Above-ground irrigation backflow assemblies and exposed outdoor lines can crack when they freeze and leak when thawed. Water collects against the slab edge or runs into the garage. See irrigation leak damage for how that plays out.
Frozen-pipe jobs range widely, because a single split in a garage wall is a different job than an attic line that wet several rooms. The figures below are regional estimates for context. The crew prices the job from readings on site.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-job water damage restoration, Greater DFW | $1,200–$5,000 | A wide range for typical residential jobs |
| Extraction plus drying, several rooms or structural materials | $5,000–$15,000 or more | Attic leaks that cross ceilings and walls land here |
| Air mover, per unit per day | about $25–$40 | A multi-room job may use several |
| Dehumidifier, per unit per day | $65–$150 | Large-capacity units cost more |
| Drywall replacement including finishing, per sq ft | $3–$8 | Repair work, quoted after drying |
These are estimates for the Celina and north Collin County area in 2026, based on wide regional ranges. Your exact price is explained and approved before work starts. The plumber's repair is a separate bill, and coverage is decided by your insurer.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Freeze nights are the exception around Celina, but they do happen. The regional reference is DFW Airport, about 35 miles south of Celina, which averages roughly a month of freezing days a year, so treat that as a rough guide rather than a Celina measurement. Between Prosper and McKinney, a home built for mild winters may have little cold-weather protection on attic lines, hose bibs and exposed irrigation parts.
Most local homes are slab-on-grade, so pipes run through attics and exterior walls instead of through basements. When a freeze hits, the attic and the garage take the cold first, and the ceilings below take the water.
After a widespread freeze, plumbers and restoration crews are busy at once. Calling the plumber first for the pipe and the crew for the water, and sending photos to your insurer early, gives you a sensible order of work.
Cleanup and drying after a supply line fails in a wall, attic or ceiling of a newer north Collin County home.
Water removal and drying when a sprinkler line or backflow assembly leaks against a slab edge or into a garage.
Draining, drying and cleanup when water from an upstairs leak or attic source soaks a drywall ceiling.
Water removal, monitored drying and cleanup for slab-on-grade homes and businesses in Celina and north Collin County.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Freeze bursts in North Texas usually show up at the thaw, when ice in an attic, exterior-wall or outdoor line melts and water pours out.
Sudden and accidental water damage, such as a pipe that bursts in a freeze, is often covered, while damage from neglect usually is not. Your insurer decides under your policy. Photos and moisture readings from the crew can go with a claim.
Open the faucet it feeds, apply gentle warmth such as a hair dryer, and keep the main valve within reach. Never use a flame. If you can see a crack or bulge, close the main and call a plumber.
Closing the main valve and draining the lines reduces the risk of a flood if a pipe splits while you are away. Ask your plumber about what is safe for your system, especially if you have a water heater or an irrigation system.
No. Wet insulation hides joists, and a wet ceiling below can give way. Leave attic work to the crew and the plumber, and keep people out of the rooms under the leak.
Often, yes. Wet insulation holds water against the ceiling and dries slowly. The crew checks readings and removes what cannot dry, with your approval, and quotes replacement separately.
No. Pipe repair is a licensed plumber's work. The crew removes the water, dries the home and documents the damage. Booking a plumber early matters, because drying cannot finish while a line is still leaking.