What is worrying you: water where it shouldn't be

Water where it shouldn't be: what to do first

If a pipe has burst, close the main house shutoff first, and keep away from power if water is near it¹. No burst you can see? The meter tells you whether water is still moving with everything off².

Start at the wet spot, note where it is, then go straight to your main shutoff.

Updated November 4, 2026, Midlands House Walk

If water has reached outlets, a panel or cords, keep out of it. CDC’s rule is short: never touch power while standing in water¹. Hot water from a broken line can also scald, so keep your distance.

Close view of a pinhole leak in rust at the bend of a painted steel pipe — A rust hole at a bend in a galvanized well-water pipe, paint flaking off. Leaks like this can start small, and they are easy to miss.

Brass valve with a red lever on copper rising from mulch into a brick wall — A ball valve on a copper line going into a brick wall. With a lever like this, handle across the pipe means closed. AI-generated picture.

Close the water at the house

Look for: Clemson’s usual spots are near the foundation, at the meter, or above the water heater³. Find yours now, while nothing is wet.
What it tells you: Many homes have no shutoff of their own, and the valve at the meter normally isn’t the customer’s to adjust, according to a 2018 Columbia Water notice reposted by local news⁴. Its freeze-week permission was temporary. Other utilities: ask them.

Open in-ground box with a brass meter and a round dial on damp soil — A meter box with the lid off, dial showing. Looking is fine. The meter and the valve in there belong to the utility. AI-generated picture.

Water you can't see

Look for: With nothing running, read the meter, wait two hours and read it again². The full meter test has the details.
What it tells you: A dial that moved means water is leaving somewhere. Columbia Water’s EyeOnWater portal also shows usage and can send leak notifications⁵.

Flashlight beam crossing plastic sheeting, brick piers and pipes under a house — A flashlight view from an open hatch. Stay at the opening: this is as close as you need to get. AI-generated picture.

Under the house

Look for: Shine a flashlight in from the hatch and check for standing water, drips and wet plastic.
What it tells you: Stay out if you see standing water, sewage or live wiring, or if you smell gas. Leave a breaker alone if you would have to wade to reach it. Water under the house has what to do next.

Worn brass tap on brick with a drop falling and a dark stain below — A worn outdoor tap with a drop falling and a wet stain beneath. A stain like this on your wall tells you to look closer. AI-generated picture.

Wet at the wall

Look for: Check when it drips: all the time, only with the tap open, or from behind the handle.
What it tells you: Hose connections often come down to a washer or pipe tape², covered on the outdoor tap page. Water coming from the wall behind the tap is a plumber’s job.

Why did it start leaking after the cold passed?

Burst pipes often go unnoticed until temperatures rise above freezing³, because the ice was holding the water back.

Will Columbia Water adjust the bill?

Its guide describes a plumbing repair reduction once repairs are done and usage is back to normal. No more than three months get adjusted, and one adjustment is allowed per 12 months⁷. Keep the repair invoice.

Yours to do

Close the main shutoff, and tell everyone in the house why the water is off.
Take photos and a meter reading before clean-up starts.
Dry out what you safely can within 24 to 48 hours, and discard porous items that can’t be dried¹.