What to Do in the First 24 Hours After a Water Leak

1. Stop the water at the source. Most appliances and fixtures have their own valve. For a toilet, it's on the wall or floor behind it, near the bottom. For a dishwasher or sink, it's in the cabinet underneath. For a washing machine, it's behind the machine. If you can't find it or it won't close, shut off the main water valve to the house. In a condo, turn off your unit's shutoff if you know where it is, and call the HOA or property manager.
2. If the water is coming from upstairs, knock on the neighbor's door and call the HOA or property manager right away. The water has to be stopped in their unit. See who pays when the leak comes from the condo above.
3. Stay clear of electricity. Don't step into water that may be touching outlets, cords or appliances. Don't flip a breaker if you'd have to stand in water to reach the panel. If you can't reach it from a dry spot, call SDG&E to cut power at the meter. If you see sparks or smell burning, leave the house and call 911.
4. Stay out from under a wet or sagging ceiling. Don't poke it to let the water out, and don't turn on ceiling lights or fans in the wet area.

Insurance adjusters ask for proof, and the first photos are the ones that matter most.

• Take wide photos and video of every wet room, then close-ups of damaged floors, walls, ceilings and belongings.
• Photograph the source: the burst hose, the cracked supply line, the overflowing toilet.
• Keep the failed part (a washer hose or supply line) in a bag. Don't throw it away.
• Don't discard damaged items before they are photographed. Your insurer may want to see them.

• Get the source repaired. Have a plumber or appliance technician fix the pipe, valve or machine. Drying can start while the repair is scheduled, as long as the water is off.
• Report the loss to your insurance company and write down the claim number. Most homeowners policies say you must protect the property from further damage. They also ask you to keep records of repair costs. Ask your insurer how to proceed. In most cases, drying should start before the adjuster visits. Document first, then dry. Coverage depends on your policy: see does homeowners insurance cover water damage in California.
• Call a water damage restoration company. The water you see is only part of it. Water wicks into drywall, under baseboards and into the carpet pad. We do a free water damage inspection with moisture meters and a thermal camera to find where it went. For water emergencies we're on site within an hour anywhere in our San Diego County service area.

What a restoration crew does on day one

• Extracts standing water from floors and carpet.
• Maps moisture in floors, walls and ceilings and records the readings.
• Removes what can't be dried in place. Wet carpet pad is often removed. Drywall that is swollen or soaked may be cut out, and sometimes a strip at the bottom of the wall is opened so the cavity can dry.
• Sets air movers and dehumidifiers, which run day and night.
• Photographs everything and starts a drying log for the insurance claim.

You can see what this looks like on a real job: a ceiling leak, a dishwasher leak or a washing machine leak.

What you can do yourself

If the spill is small, clean, caught right away and only on a hard floor:

• Mop and towel up the water, or use a wet-dry shop vacuum. Never use a regular household vacuum on water.
• Move furniture off wet carpet. Put foil or plastic under the legs of anything you can't move.
• Open cabinet doors under the sink so the cabinet floor can dry.
• Run fans and a dehumidifier, and keep the air conditioning on. Open windows only when the air outside is drier than inside.

When DIY isn't enough

Call a professional if any of these are true:

• Water got into walls, ceilings, under flooring or inside cabinets.
• More than one room is wet, or the water came from the unit above.
• The water was dirty: dishwasher or washing machine drain water, or a toilet overflow. Sewage or a toilet overflow with waste is a job for a professional, not a mop.
• You notice a musty smell or stains that keep growing.

• Don't wait to "let it air dry." Water keeps spreading into materials you can't see.
• Don't paint over stains or put down new flooring until a moisture meter shows the area is dry.
• Don't use heaters to "speed things up" on hardwood floors. Fast, uneven heat can make them cup or crack.
• Don't pull down a wet ceiling yourself.

The U.S. EPA advises drying water-damaged materials within 24 to 48 hours to help prevent mold growth. Its own note says this is a guideline: mold doesn't always appear after 48 hours, and it can appear sooner. The earlier drying starts, the less material has to be removed, and the smaller the repair. If mold has already started, see mold remediation.

A failed washing machine connector upstairs soaked three ceilings in a University City condo. We opened only the wet sections, dried the condo in three days and then fully repaired it. Read the University City washer leak project.

1. Water stopped at the fixture or main valve.
2. Power off to wet areas, but only from a dry spot.
3. Photos and video of every wet area and of the source.
4. Failed part saved.
5. Loss reported to insurance; claim number written down.
6. Source repair scheduled.
7. Restoration company called; drying started.