21 guides
Water damage: what to do, in order
What to do first when a pipe bursts, water comes through a ceiling, or a basement floods, and what your insurance is likely to cover.
Water is coming in right now
Stop the water first. These are the first ten minutes.
- Your pipe just burst Shut off the water, cut power to the wet area, open the faucets, move what you can, and photograph everything before you clean up. The order matters more than the speed.
- A pipe is frozen Open the faucet that pipe feeds, then warm it from the faucet end backward with a hair dryer or hot towels. Never an open flame. If it has already split, the main valve comes first.
- The water heater is leaking Cut the power or gas first, then close the cold inlet valve on top. A tank leaking from the bottom has failed and cannot be repaired, and it holds forty gallons or more.
- An appliance is leaking Close the valve behind or under the appliance, not the main, and pull the power. A braided supply hose that has let go will empty the whole house supply through it.
- The toilet is overflowing Take the lid off the tank and push the flapper down, then close the valve behind the toilet. Do not flush again. What you do after that depends on which side of the trap the blockage is.
- Water through the ceiling Move everything out from under it, shut off the water, and keep away from any light fixture in the wet area. A bulging ceiling is holding weight and will fail without warning.
- Water from the unit above Get everything out from under it and knock on their door, then call the building's emergency line. You cannot stop this one yourself, and in a building the shut-off that matters is not in your unit.
- Sewage or drain backup Stop running any water in the building, keep everyone out of the affected area, and do not clean it up yourself. Backed up drain water is category three, and porous material it touches does not get saved.
- Water coming in from rain Stay out of standing water near anything electrical, move water away from the foundation outside, and photograph where it is entering. Water that arrives from the ground is excluded by most homeowners policies.
- The sump pump has failed Check the breaker and the float before you assume the pump is dead, and get water out by hand or utility pump while you work. A stuck float is the most common failure and the easiest to fix.
- Roof leaking in a storm Contain it, relieve the ceiling before it collapses, and stay off the roof while the weather is bad. Whether insurance pays turns on whether the storm opened the roof or the roof was already worn out.
- Slab leak under the floor Warm spots on the floor, a running water sound with everything off, and a water bill that jumped are the three signs. Shut off the main and check the meter to confirm it before anyone breaks concrete.
- A wet patch, no obvious source Close the main and watch the meter: that single test tells you whether it is a supply leak, a drain leak, or not a leak at all. Then use where and when it appears to narrow it down.
- The valve won't turn Stop pulling on it. A seized valve that snaps turns one leak into an open pipe. Use the fixture valve, the meter box valve, or call the water utility, which will usually shut the street side for free.
The water has stopped and things are wet
What happens next depends on how fast the house dries.
- Plumber or restoration company? If water is still arriving, call a plumber. If the leak has stopped and things are wet, call a restoration company. They fix different problems and neither one does the other's job.
- How long before mold starts The figure used across the restoration industry is 24 to 48 hours from when material gets wet. What actually matters is whether the material is dry, not whether the surface looks dry.
Dealing with insurance
What is likely covered, what gets denied, and what things cost.
- Does insurance cover water damage? Usually yes if it was sudden and accidental, usually no if it happened slowly or came from outside. The distinction your policy cares about is how the water arrived, not how much damage it did.
- Renter or landlord? The landlord's policy covers the building and nothing you own. Your belongings are only covered if you have a renters policy. Report the leak in writing the day it happens, whatever else you do.
- Why claims get denied Most denials come down to four things: the leak was gradual, you reported it late, you cleaned up before documenting, or the peril needed an endorsement you did not have. Three of those you control.
- Assignment of benefits It hands your rights under your insurance policy to the contractor, so they bill and negotiate with your insurer directly. Sometimes that is a convenience. Sometimes it is how you end up in a lawsuit with your own name on it.
- What restoration costs It is two separate bills, not one: drying the house out, then rebuilding what came out. What drives the number is the category of water, how far it spread, and how long it sat.