What steps to take if you have flooding in your home or business from a pipe leak or a hydrant burst?

When water is flooding a house, it can quickly destroy the structure and personal property. It seeps under walls and leads to serious damage. It’s important to respond quickly when there’s water in the home, and people should take the following actions to protect their personal property and minimize damage to the home. Contact your local plumbers at H & H to come in and repair the pipe or to assess where the source is coming from. This is something that we help homeowners and businesses with every day, so you can trust the experts at H & H to support you through this plumbing issue.

Turn off the water source

If you have a direct shut off valve where the water source is coming from, turn it off directly. If you not sure where the source is coming from shut off the water main until you can pinpoint the area of damage.

Move to Higher Ground

Minimizing the damage basically requires getting things out of harm’s way. If it’s not possible to move furniture, the start stacking the smaller items on top of larger pieces. Move smaller things out of the flooded area completely. Try to start with items that are particularly important to the valuable or have a high replacement value.

Pump or Drain it Out

The next step is to get the water out. Wear rubber boots to protect feet while working. If there is several feet or inches of water, consider renting a sump pump to make short work of the flood and get the water out. Sump pumps remove an incredible amount of water at a time, so the drain pipe should be run outside of the home and as close to a storm drain as possible. Once the water is down to an inch or two, use shop vacuums or high power extractors to start getting it out of the structure.

Pull it Out of Fabric

If you had standing water and it is gone, homeowners will still find themselves standing in a puddle every time they step on the carpet. Rent a commercial extractor or steam cleaner to start removing the moisture from the carpet. Most upholstered furniture items will have to be thrown away because it’s too difficult to completely dry the padding. Commercial carpets without padding can usually be steam cleaned and saved. Carpets with padding should typically be replaced to avoid problems with mold. However, it will be easier to cut up, roll and remove the carpet if it’s not completely soaked. Once the carpet is no longer puddling with every step, homeowners can start cutting it out.

Bring in the Fans

Rent fans and dehumidifiers to start working on the remaining moisture in the air. With the carpet removed, mildew odors shouldn’t be a problem. Place fans around the structure to dry the area. If possible, remove the baseboards that became wet. Use a drill and a one-inch bit to drill holes along the bottom edge of sheetrock. This will help the walls to start drying and prevent mold. The sheetrock may still have to be replaced, but the damage will be limited if it takes a while to hire a contractor.

Allow the fans and dehumidifiers to run for several days or even weeks. Wood that soaked up water will gradually dry out and return to its normal shape. With the moisture out of the air, the risk of structural damage and mold is reduced, and homeowners can start getting everything back to normal.