This page is for properties where the plumbing doesn’t stop at the back door. We’re a referral service, with no office in the area, and we connect callers with independent plumbers. Whether a given plumber covers your address is confirmed on the call.
Outbuildings and detached structures
A pool house, workshop, barn, detached garage or guest cottage is typically fed by its own water line, often long and often buried. Because they’re used less, a leak can run for a long time unnoticed. If your water bill jumps or the meter spins with the house taps off, check these first: close the valve to each outbuilding in turn and see whether the meter stops. In winter, an unheated outbuilding is among the most likely places for a pipe to freeze. Drain it or keep it heated.
A winter shutdown checklist
- Disconnect hoses and close the interior valves for outdoor taps.
- If you have a pool, make sure the equipment area and the lines to it are properly winterized, as directed by your pool company.
- Have the irrigation system blown out and the backflow device protected.
- Drain or heat any building without regular heat.
- If the house will be empty, keep the heat on and arrange for someone to check it.
If a pipe in any of these places has already frozen, the steps on our frozen pipe repair page apply, and for a split pipe see emergency burst pipe repair.
A water line that runs a long way
Properties with a long approach from the road have a long line from the street. If the leak is underground, the repair may involve digging through landscaping or a drive, which affects both cost and timing. See main water line repair for how that plays out and who’s responsible for each section.
Large homes
For multi-story homes and irrigation, Avenel has a closely related page. For pressure-related trouble, such as repeated leaks at fixtures, see Merry Go Round Farm. And if you’d like the quick version of the whole process, the page on burst pipe repair in Potomac, MD has it.
Questions people ask
How do I check if an outbuilding is leaking?
Should I drain a guest house for winter?
Burst pipe services you can ask for
Frozen Pipe Repair
Thawing frozen lines and fixing the splits ice leaves behind.
Main Water Line Repair
The line that carries water from the street into your house.
Emergency Burst Pipe Repair
A split pipe or blown joint with water actively escaping.
A note on this guide. This page is general information, last reviewed October 2026. It can’t replace a plumber looking at your actual pipes, and Burst Pipe Fix Pros does not perform plumbing work.