If a pipe has burst in your Butner home, close the private cut-off valve on the house side of the SGWASA meter and keep clear of wet outlets. A plumber can replace the broken section and check your shutoff and check valve. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Butner.
Butner was laid out on the WWII-era Camp Butner grid, and most of its homes went up between the 1980s and 2000s: the median dates to 1991, with about 29% built before 1980. Water and sewer come from the South Granville Water and Sewer Authority, headquartered in town. SGWASA's rules put the line from the main to the meter at the property line on the authority's side. Past the meter, the owner has to supply and maintain a private cut-off valve and a check valve or backflow preventer, and keep the service pipe and fixtures in repair and protected from frost at their own expense. That makes a Butner burst on your side of the meter your repair.
What to do in the next few minutes
- Close your private cut-off valve just past the meter, or the main shutoff inside the house.
- If the valve won't turn, don't force it until it breaks. Call SGWASA about the meter and tell the plumber the valve is stuck.
- Turn off breakers for any wet circuits and for an electric water heater; set a gas heater to pilot.
- Open the lowest faucet in the house to drain what's left in the pipes.
- Take photos, then start moving water and belongings out of the wet area.
- Call the number on this page and describe where the water is and whether it's stopped.
Symptoms and what they usually mean
| What you notice | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Water spraying from a pipe after a cold night | A line froze and split |
| Leak starts in the afternoon after a freeze | Ice that sealed a crack has melted |
| Wet soil between the meter and the house | Break in your private service pipe |
| Water at the meter box or curb | Possible SGWASA-side issue; report it to SGWASA |
| Meter moving with every fixture closed | Hidden leak in a wall, slab or crawl space |
| Puddle under the outside spigot in spring | Winter crack in the hose bibb supply |
Cost considerations
- How easy the pipe is to reach, from an open crawl space to a finished ceiling.
- Whether the break is indoors or on the buried service pipe in the yard.
- Replacing a worn cut-off or check valve while the water is off.
- The pipe material and how much has to be replaced.
- Permits for larger jobs, which go through Granville County Development Services for the Town of Butner.
- Calls outside normal business hours.
Burst Pipe Repair questions in Butner
Who fixes a break between the water meter and my house?
I can't find or turn my main shutoff. What now?
How do I protect outdoor spigots before the next freeze?
How is a hidden pipe break located?
More plumbing services in Butner
Burst Pipe Repair nearby
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