Here is how much burst pipe repair cost.
Property maintenance is a key activity that ensures fixtures and structures remain functional. Sometimes, certain components may need to be completely replaced.
Here, we’ll be looking at burst pipe repairs as well as attendant costs incurred from such repairs.
If you wish to carry out some repair work on burst pipes, you’ll find this article useful as it looks at all aspects of cost. Repair costs for burst pipes are influenced by several factors.
As such, there’s no definite cost without an onsite assessment of the pipe’s condition as well as the scale of the job.
Causes of Pipe Bursts
To better appreciate burst pipe repair costs, it’s necessary to look out for the signs and understand the causes.
This enables you better manage your pipe fixtures after each repair. Now, causes of burst pipes include sudden changes in water pressure, frozen pipes, corrosion, moving pipes due to settling and aging.
For each of these problems, you’re in a better position to prevent a repeat after each repair. When a plumber comes around to have the problem fixed, it’s important to make all the right inquiries.
Asking the plumber for tips on preventing a repeat is a wise move that saves you money in the long run.
Here is how much does it cost to fix a burst pipe.
Cost of Burst Pipe Repair
The average cost of having a burst pipe fixed is around $500. This is the cost for moderate repair work. You may end up paying a low of around $150, and a high of about $1,200.
Of course, certain burst pipe repair jobs could cost much more than this amount.
The maximum amount you may end up paying for pipe repair is around $2,000. When looking at repair costs, one thing must not be left out; labor cost. This crucial to the procedure as a lot of physical work is involved.
In terms of labor costs, the fee incurred is determined by location and the plumbing company you hire.
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Labor Costs for Fixing Pipe Burst
Typically, plumbers will charge an hourly fee or rate of around $45 to $200. Why the wide difference? This is a question most readers ask after seeing the figure provided.
Here, you’ll need to remember that location plays a role in determining costs.
Certain locations such as big cities have a higher cost of living that affects every other area including repairs. So, you’re likely to pay around $200 to have your burst pipes fixed.
Now, the opposite applies to rural locations as the cost of living is mostly cheaper.
Flat rates may apply for certain repair services. During repair, certain actions such as thawing may be necessary.
These may attract flat rates of around $100. In terms of burst pipe repair, labor takes up a large chunk of costs involved.
Labor here involves mobilizing to the site and effecting repairs. The national average cost of about $500 for repairs mentioned earlier will be largely made up of labor costs.
Around $300 to $400 of the national average costs will be taken up by labor costs.
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Cost of Pipe Replacement
Sometimes, fixing a burst pipe goes beyond repairs.
There are times when pipes get stressed when repaired. The plumber is in the best position to decide how the job is to be handled. Here, a pipe replacement may be necessary.
Replacement of plumbing systems is a more thorough job that incurs higher fees.
As such, having a pipe replaced will cost around $2,000 to as much as $15,000. Of course, this depends on the type of pipe as well as its location.
Factors That Impact The Cost Of Burst Pipe Repair
When fixing a burst pipe, there are cost factors to figure out. These include access to pipes, emergency services, insurance coverage, and carrying out a DIY repair.
Let’s briefly discuss each of these for better understanding.
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Access to Pipes
How easy is it to access burst pipes? Certain pipes are embedded in drywalls or deep in the ground. When such pipes burst, they require some teardown of drywall to get to them.
For pipes dug deep below the ground, a trench(es) needs to be dug to get to them.
The more challenging it is to access a burst pipe; the more costly it’s likely to be. The opposite applies to burst pipes which are easily accessible. These tend to attract lesser repair costs.
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Emergency Services
Emergency services may be required to fix a burst pipe. This is mostly unarranged and involves the plumber showing up at short notice. As part of the inconvenience, you’re likely to get charged higher.
This is standard practice with most emergency repair services involving structures.
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Insurance Coverage
How comprehensive is your property’s insurance coverage? This is an important question that needs answers.
Quite a lot of insurance policies cover water damage including burst pipes. So, you’ll need to know how far your insurance coverage goes by calling your insurance adjuster.
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Carrying out DIY Repair
While waiting to confirm the extent of your insurance coverage, you may want to carry out DIY repair work on your burst pipe. When carrying out this procedure, you may have to purchase emergency kit repairs which are sold for around $6 to $30.
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Pipe Location
The location of a burst pipe will impact the cost of repairs.
Certain pipes may be easily accessed while some may not. It all depends on where such pipes are. Some require hammering through concrete while others require opening up drywall.
Hammering through concrete involves much more work. This is likely to jack-up repair costs considerably.
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Type of Pipe
When it comes to fixing pipe bursts, there are different types.
The type largely determines how much it will cost to fix. For example, there are PVC pipes as well as copper pipes. PVC pipes are the cheaper of the two and will cost less to fix. The opposite is true for copper pipes.
Conclusion
Certain factors affect burst pipe repair costs.
Some of these have been mentioned briefly. They include the location as well as the type of pipe. Both of these will significantly affect the cost incurred when fixing a burst pipe.
Burst pipe repair costs as seen so far varies based on certain factors.
Here is a guide if you are interested in the types and cost of pipe burst tools.
We’ve provided the national average as well as the low and high for fixing such faulty pipes. However, we also mentioned that costs can go much higher than the figures provided.