What to Do After Water Damage: Your First 24 Hours in Pleasant Grove, UT

Know Your Shutoffs Before You Need Them

Every Pleasant Grove home has several shutoffs. Finding them in an emergency is much harder than finding them now.

• Culinary water main: Inside the home, usually in the basement or utility room. Stops all drinking water to the house.
• Curb meter box: Near the street. Needs a meter key. Pleasant Grove City can help if you cannot reach your inside valve.
• Secondary water shutoff: A separate valve, often in a yard valve box, for your sprinkler system. Closing the culinary main does not stop it.
• Water heater supply: A valve on the cold line at the top of the tank.
• Fixture valves: Small valves under sinks and behind toilets for a single fixture.
• Breaker panel: Know which breakers control the basement and each floor.
• Gas valve: At the meter and at each gas appliance.

The First 24 Hours

• Report the claim to your insurer and write down the claim number.
• Keep extraction and drying going. Professional dehumidifiers and air movers should run around the clock.
• Remove wet rugs and soaked items after they are photographed.
• Open interior doors and cabinets to help air move, unless the water was sewage.
• Keep receipts for any emergency purchases, meals or lodging.
• Watch for new stains in ceilings and walls on the floors below.

24 to 72 Hours: What Happens If Drying Has Not Started

Water keeps working while it sits. Within a day or two, drywall softens, carpet pad sours, particleboard swells and clean water can turn into contaminated water. Mold can begin growing within 24 to 48 hours. By the third day, materials that could have been dried often have to be removed instead. Starting drying early is the single most effective way to limit both damage and cost.

What NOT to Do After Water Damage

• Do not use a household vacuum to pick up water
• Do not walk through water near outlets, cords or appliances
• Do not turn on ceiling lights or fans under a wet ceiling
• Do not use heaters or the furnace to dry a sewage-contaminated area
• Do not throw away damaged items before they are photographed
• Do not paint over stains or close up walls before they are confirmed dry
• Do not wait to see if it dries on its own

Water Damage Checklist by Source

Burst Pipe

Close the main valve, open a faucet on the lowest floor to drain the lines, and check the floors below for water. See burst pipe water damage and what to do after a pipe bursts.

Flooded Basement

Stay out until power is off, stop the source, and move belongings upstairs. See flooded basement cleanup.

Sewage Backup

Stop using every drain in the house, keep everyone out, and do not try to clean it yourself. See sewage backup cleanup.

Window Well Flooding

Do not open the window. Pump or bail the well from outside and turn off nearby sprinklers. See window well flooding.

Water Heater Leak

Close the cold supply valve on top of the tank and turn off the gas or electric breaker. See water heater and appliance leak cleanup.

Ceiling Leak

Clear the room, turn off the lights below and do not stand under a sagging ceiling. See ceiling water damage repair.

Sprinkler or Secondary Water Leak

Turn off the sprinkler timer and close the secondary water shutoff. See sprinkler line leaks into the basement.

Is It Safe to Stay in Your Home?

Usually, if the damage is limited to one area, the water was clean, power is safe and you have a working bathroom and kitchen. Stay elsewhere if the water was sewage, if a ceiling is sagging, if power must be off, or if anyone in the home has breathing problems or a weak immune system. Homeowners insurance often covers temporary housing for covered losses.

When to Call a Professional Instead of Doing It Yourself

• Water reached carpet, drywall or a finished basement
• The water was from a toilet, floor drain or sewer line
• A ceiling is wet, stained or sagging
• Water has been sitting for more than a few hours
• You smell something musty
• You plan to file an insurance claim and need moisture records

A small spill on tile or vinyl can usually be handled with towels and a fan. Anything that soaked into materials needs moisture meters and professional drying.

Protecting Your Insurance Claim From the Start

Insurers expect you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, and they rely on documentation to review the claim. Photograph before you clean, keep damaged items until they are recorded, save every receipt and start professional drying right away. Daily drying logs and moisture readings show the work was done properly. Read the guide to water damage insurance claims.

After Water Damage FAQs

Need Help Now? Call 24/7 in Pleasant Grove, UT

Knowing what to do after water damage is the first step. Getting the water out fast is the second. For what to do after water damage in Pleasant Grove, water damage first steps and a full water damage checklist for homes in Pleasant Grove, Lindon, Alpine, Vineyard and American Fork, a crew is dispatched immediately.

Call (385) 346-0377 now if you are unsure what to do after water damage in Pleasant Grove. A crew is dispatched immediately.

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