How Long Does It Take to Dry a House After Water Damage?

• University City condo: a failed washing machine connector upstairs soaked three ceilings. We opened only the wet sections, and the condo was dry in 3 days. See the project.
• Scripps Ranch condos: a plumbing failure in a top-floor unit sent water into two units below. We opened the wet ceilings and walls and dried both units with daily monitoring for 11 to 12 days. See the project.

Same city, same kind of building, yet one job took four times as long. Here's why.

A few of these need a word of explanation:

• Hardwood and concrete hold water deep inside. The surface can feel dry days before the inside is. That's why we measure instead of touching.
• Closed wall cavities dry very slowly. If water ran inside a wall, we often open a small strip of drywall at the bottom, or remove the wet section, so air can reach it. Drying the cavity is faster and safer than waiting.
• Dirty water changes the plan. With drain water or sewage, wet porous materials such as carpet pad and soaked drywall are usually removed instead of dried. Removing that material takes time up front, and there's more to rebuild.

The IICRC S500 water damage standard doesn't set a number of days. It has the restorer set a drying goal for each material, based on a "dry standard": the moisture level of the same material in a part of the house that never got wet.

On our jobs that means:

1. Day one: we take readings in the dry parts of the house to set the target for each material, then map the wet areas.
2. Every day: we take readings in the same spots, log them, and move or adjust equipment where drying is slow.
3. Last day: when the wet areas match the target, we remove the equipment and hand you the photos and drying logs for your insurance claim.

If equipment comes out on day three just because "it's usually three days," hidden moisture can stay behind, and mold can follow. We take it out when the readings say so.

• Day 1: inspection, water extraction, moisture mapping, removal of what can't be dried in place, equipment set up.
• Days 2 to 4: daily readings and adjustments. Most of the drying happens here.
• After that: equipment comes out room by room as each area reaches its target. Harder materials can keep a few machines running longer.

You'll need to give us access once a day for readings. Equipment runs day and night and is loud. Please don't switch it off without asking us first.

Often, yes. With a clean-water leak, many families stay home and simply avoid the rooms with equipment. With a sewage backup, or if mold is found and an area has to be sealed off, some rooms may be off-limits until the work there is done. We'll tell you on day one.

After the readings confirm everything is dry. Rebuilding before that traps moisture behind new drywall, paint or flooring. As a licensed California contractor (CSLB #1137252), we handle the reconstruction and repairs after drying: drywall, paint, trim and cabinets. For flooring we coordinate the replacement with an installer. How long repairs take depends on what had to be removed, and we give you that schedule once drying is done.

• A musty smell that comes back when the fans are off.
• Floors that are still cupping or swelling.
• Paint that bubbles or baseboards that pull away from the wall.
• A stain that keeps getting bigger.

If you see any of these after someone else dried your home, a free water damage inspection with a moisture meter will tell you what's still wet.