Water damage in your home: what to do in the first 24 hours

A supply line lets go under the kitchen sink, or the water heater in the garage fails, and by the time you notice it the floor is wet three rooms away. The first steps are to stop the source, stay clear of electrical hazards, document the damage, and get the affected materials assessed promptly.

1. Stop the water

Find the shutoff. Under a sink there is usually an angle stop on the wall behind the fixture. For a water heater there is a valve on the cold inlet at the top of the tank. If you cannot isolate it, use the main shutoff for the house, typically at the front of the property near the meter or where the supply enters the building. If you have never located yours, do it on a dry Saturday, not while standing in an inch of water.

If the source is a sewer backup or anything coming up out of a drain, stop using every fixture in the house immediately. Every flush and every load of laundry adds to it.

2. Kill the power to wet areas

Water and electricity in the same room is where a bad day becomes a fatal one. If water reached outlets, baseboards with wiring behind them, or a panel, shut off the affected circuits at the breaker, and do not walk into standing water to get there. If the panel is in the wet area, call the utility or an electrician instead of improvising.

3. Call a mitigation crew, not a general contractor

With water still active or materials still wet, call an emergency water mitigation provider with extraction and drying equipment. We are a general contractor and handle the rebuild.

EPA advises drying wet buildings and furnishings promptly, ideally within 24 to 48 hours, to help avoid mold growth. Ask the mitigation provider how it will document the affected materials and drying progress.

4. Document before you clean up

Before anything gets moved, photograph and video every room, every wet surface, the source of the failure, and the contents. Get wide shots that establish the room and close shots that show the damage. Photograph serial numbers and model plates on any failed appliance. Keep the failed part itself: the burst flex line, the split fitting, the cracked valve. Insurers and their engineers want to see it, and once it is in a dumpster your account of what happened is just an account.

Keep receipts from the emergency, including temporary repairs and any relocation costs. Ask your insurer which expenses your policy covers and what documentation it needs.

5. Notify your insurer, and understand what happens next

Tell your insurer or agent what happened and ask how to report the loss. California's claims guide recommends protecting the property from further damage and keeping records of temporary repairs. Coverage depends on your policy and the cause of the loss. We cover common questions in does insurance cover water damage in California.

6. Move what you can save

Get contents up off wet floors: rugs, boxes, electronics, anything paper, anything upholstered. Put foil or wood blocks under furniture legs so the finish does not bleed into wet carpet. Open interior doors and closets so air can move. Do not run your household HVAC if the loss involved sewage or if the system itself got wet, since that pushes contamination through the whole house.

7. Do not try to dry it yourself

Household fans may help surface moisture but cannot tell you whether a wall cavity or subfloor is dry. A mitigation provider can assess concealed materials, use drying equipment where needed, and document moisture readings. The duration depends on the materials and conditions, so ask for the drying record before covering an affected area with new finishes.

What happens after the drying

When the mitigation team documents its drying handoff, the next job is assessing what to rebuild: drywall, flooring, cabinets, paint, and any work that needs permits. We can assess the repair scope while mitigation is underway, then refine the estimate from the final removal and drying records. See our water damage repair and rebuild page.

Common questions

Sources

• IICRC: S500 standard for professional water damage restoration
• EPA: Mold course, moisture and mold prevention
• California Department of Insurance: residential claims guide