Home / Blog / Water damage

What to do in the first 24 hours after water damage

A burst pipe, an appliance leak or a flooded basement. What you do in the first day decides how much of the house has to be torn out.

The first 30 minutes

1. Make it safe

• Turn off electricity to the wet area if you can reach the panel without walking through water.
• Stay out of standing water if outlets or cords are under it.
• Leave if you smell gas or a ceiling is sagging.

2. Stop the water

• Shut off the main water valve. It is usually near the meter or where the line enters the house.
• If an appliance is the source, shut that off too.
• For a roof leak, put down buckets and plastic to catch what you can.

Find your main shutoff valve before you need it, and show everyone in the house where it is.

3. Report it to your insurance company

Most policies ask you to report damage promptly. Have your policy number, when you found the damage, where the water came from if you know, and which rooms are affected.

4. Call a restoration contractor

A contractor will extract the standing water, set up drying equipment and photograph the damage. Our number is (301) 450-9487.

What you can do while you wait

• Photograph and video everything before you clean up.
• Mop or towel up what you safely can.
• Lift furniture legs off wet carpet with foil or wood blocks.
• Pull up area rugs.
• Open windows and run fans. Leave the central air off if water got into the ducts.
• Move shoes, boxes and anything else on the floor of wet closets.

What not to do

• Don't use a household vacuum on water. It is a shock hazard.
• Don't turn on ceiling lights or fans under a wet ceiling.
• Don't go into a room where the ceiling is sagging.
• Don't throw damaged things away before you have photographed them.
• Don't ignore a small leak. Water you can't see does the most damage.

Why the first two days matter

Drywall starts soaking up water right away. Within a day it swells, metal starts to rust and furniture warps. By the second day wood floors begin to cup. The longer materials stay wet, the more of them have to come out.

What a restoration crew does

1. Finds how far the water went, including inside walls and under floors.
2. Extracts standing water.
3. Removes materials that can't be dried, such as soaked drywall and carpet padding.
4. Runs dehumidifiers and air movers and checks moisture readings until the structure is dry.
5. Photographs the damage and writes the repair estimate for your insurer.
6. Rebuilds: drywall, flooring, trim and paint.

Keeping it from happening again

• Check washing machine and dishwasher hoses once a year.
• Know the age of your water heater.
• Keep gutters clear so water runs away from the house.
• Look at the ceilings under bathrooms and the roof now and then for new stains.

More about our water damage work