Low pressure, a wet yard or a stained ceiling can mean a failure in the street or a pipe that split inside the walls. The two problems have different owners, so telling them apart saves time.
Key takeaways
- DeKalb County's watershed department owns the water and sewer pipes under every street in the city, and the city cannot repair them.
- Several neighbors losing pressure at once points to the street, while a wet spot in one house points to a pipe inside.
- A burst pipe inside the house is stopped at the main valve, then the water is extracted and the structure is dried.
- Closing the main valve comes first when water is running inside, then the right party is contacted.
- Drying plans change with the building, from pre-war houses to mixed-use and multi-unit buildings.
Reading the signs: the street or the house
The pattern gives the first clue. A problem in the street usually affects more than one address, while a problem inside a house stays inside it.
Signs pointing to the street
A main break outside leaves traces that neighbors can see and feel.
- Low pressure or no water at several neighboring homes.
- Water bubbling up in the street, a yard or a driveway.
- A sinkhole or settled pavement.
- Cloudy or brown water at more than one address.
Signs pointing to a pipe inside
A split inside a wall tends to show up in one house only, and often in one room.
- A stain that grows on a ceiling or wall.
- The sound of running water when everything is off.
- Sudden loss of pressure at one house while neighbors are fine.
- Warm or wet spots on a floor.
- A water meter that keeps moving with every fixture closed.
Who handles the street
DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management owns and operates the drinking water and sanitary sewer assets under and through every street here. Those assets include manholes, underground pipes, service laterals, valves, fire hydrants and water meters.
The City of Brookhaven says it has no authority to maintain, repair or replace those assets. Only DeKalb Watershed Management or its contractors may work on them.
DeKalb Watershed Management keeps a 24-hour emergency contact for water and sewer failures. The city's own water and sewer page shows a main break on Drew Valley Road in 2019, which is the kind of street failure that county crews repair.
A burst pipe inside the walls
Pipes split at fittings, at corners and wherever a long run is stressed by cold, age or pressure. Many splits happen inside a wall or above a ceiling, where the water is out of sight.
A split supply pipe runs at full pressure, so it can soak a wall, a ceiling and the floor below before anyone finds it.
A street failure and an inside failure can also happen together. A main break can lower pressure, and the return of full pressure can then split an older fitting.
A burst pipe also rarely announces itself with a gush. More often it shows as a slow stain, a swollen baseboard or a floor that feels soft.
What happens inside when a street main is repaired
Even a street failure can touch a house. When pressure drops and returns, air in the pipes can make taps spurt, and stirred-up sediment can turn the water cloudy for a time.
Most of that clears on its own, but a weak fitting can leak the moment full pressure comes back.
- Run a large fixture such as a tub faucet until the water clears.
- Check under sinks and around the water heater for new drips after pressure returns.
- Leave the washing machine and dishwasher off until the water runs clear.
- If a fitting leaks, close its valve and photograph it before anything dries.
The right order of steps
When water is running inside, the sequence matters. Each step protects the next one.
- Close the main shutoff valve where the water pipe enters the house.
- Open the lowest faucet to let the remaining water drain.
- Turn off power to wet rooms from a dry panel.
- Photograph the damage before anything is moved.
- If neighbors share the problem, contact DeKalb Watershed Management through its 24-hour emergency contact.
- Contact a restoration team for extraction when water is on the floors.
What extraction and drying cover
A burst pipe floods fast. Water extraction pulls out standing water before it wicks into carpet, pad and drywall.
Then the walls are opened where the readings are high, and the cavity is dried with air movers and dehumidifiers. A burst pipe water damage crew logs readings every day until the framing reaches the dry goal.
The plumber repairs the pipe, and the dry-out and the repair can run side by side. The repair often needs the wall open anyway, and structural drying continues until the framing reads dry.
The city handles permits for contractors and residents through its Project Portal, which is where a permit question for a repair starts.
Different buildings, different dry-outs
The housing here runs from pre-war neighborhoods like Historic Brookhaven to development from the 1950s to the 1970s and newer mixed-use buildings around Brookhaven Village.
A drying plan fits the building. The same burst pipe makes a different job in a house than in a stacked building.
The same pipe failure makes a different job in each building type, which is why the Brookhaven water damage restoration services start with a look at the structure.
- Houses: the dry-out follows the floor type and the wall materials.
- Mixed-use buildings: water can reach units, shops and common areas below.
- High-density housing along Buford Highway: a leak in one unit can reach neighbors, so access and coordination matter.
- Single family streets such as Ashford Park and Brookhaven Fields: a leak often stays in one house and its crawl space or lower floor.
Questions
Who fixes a water main break in Brookhaven?
DeKalb Watershed Management or its contractors. The city says it has no authority to repair the county's water and sewer assets.
How can a homeowner tell if the problem is a main break?
Several neighbors losing pressure, water in the street or a sinkhole point to the main. A wet spot or the sound of running water inside one house points to a pipe in the house.
Should the main valve be shut off during a water main break?
If water is running inside the house, yes. If the problem is only low pressure from a street break, it helps to keep faucets closed so nothing runs unattended when pressure returns.
Who pays for water damage from a burst pipe?
That depends on the policy and the cause. Many homeowner policies cover sudden pipe failures, and photos, readings and the plumber's invoice support the claim.
How long does it take to dry after a burst pipe?
Several days is common once the standing water is extracted. The daily readings decide when the equipment can go.