Practical advice from the dispatch deskYour First Hour After a Leak or Flood
The steps you take before the crew pulls up can save a floor, a wall, or an entire room. None of it takes the place of professional drying, but it does buy you time.
Start by stopping the water. Find the main shutoff and turn it clockwise until it stops. In older homes near downtown Sergeant Bluff it is often in the basement on the front wall where the line comes in from the street. In newer subdivisions it is usually in the garage, a utility closet, or near the water heater. Condo and apartment owners may find their unit shutoff under a sink or behind an access panel, and building maintenance can close the riser if it comes to that.
Make the area safe. If water is near outlets, power strips or the electrical panel, do not walk through it to reach the breaker. Call the utility or wait for the crew. Keep an eye on the ceiling. Bulging or sagging drywall is holding water and can drop without warning, so keep everyone, pets included, out from beneath it.
Document everything before it moves. Shoot wide photos of each room, then close-ups of the source, the waterline on the walls, and damaged belongings. A short video walking through the house with the date on screen is even better. Your adjuster will thank you.
Get some air moving, carefully. If the power is safe and the water is clean, open interior doors and run a few household fans to keep air moving across wet surfaces. Do not open windows on a hot, humid day, since you will pull more moisture into the house than you remove. In winter, keep the heat on so pipes do not freeze again and materials keep giving up water.
Get belongings up off the floor. Carry rugs, electronics, documents and anything sentimental into a dry room. Put foil squares or plastic lids under furniture legs so finish and rust do not bleed into wet carpet. Leave built-ins and heavy pieces for the crew.
Things not to do: Never use a household vacuum on wet flooring, do not crank the HVAC thinking it will help, and do not rip out drywall before it has been photographed and measured. If the water came from a toilet, a floor drain or outdoors, treat it as contaminated and keep your bare hands out of it.
Then make the call. The earlier extraction begins, the more of your home stays where it is instead of going out to the curb. If any of it feels unclear, the dispatcher can talk you through it while the contractor is driving over.