Water damage questions, answered plainly
Most questions come down to four things: what to do in the first minutes, how long drying takes, what it costs and whether insurance helps. Short version: close the main valve, stay clear of wet outlets, call, and approve the emergency-stage price before work. Drying often takes three to five days, and your insurer decides coverage.
- Phones answered 24/7, freeze nights included
- Attic water heaters, burst pipes, lake and creek water
- Emergency-stage price approved before work starts
- Daily moisture logs and photographs, yours to keep
Get a fast quote
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
First steps and safety
Where is the main shut-off in a typical North Texas house?
Often near the water meter at the street, or in a garage utility corner or a hall closet where the line enters a slab house. The city controls the valve at the meter, so find the one inside your own lot before a freeze. Turn it once a year, because a seized valve is no help at midnight.
Is it safe to walk into a room with a wet ceiling?
Stay out from under a sagging or dripping ceiling. Water-loaded drywall and insulation can fall without warning, and an attic leak may still be running above it. Close the heater or main valve if you can, then call.
Should I pull up wet carpet myself?
Better not. Wet carpet tears at the seams, and it can often be dried in place once the pad underneath is removed. Photograph the room, move small furniture and let the moisture readings decide what stays.
Drying, mold and Texas law
How long does drying take?
Often three to five days for a room, longer for hardwood and other dense materials. Readings are taken on each visit, and equipment comes out when the materials match a dry reference reading from an unaffected part of your house.
How soon can mold start after a leak?
The EPA advises drying water-damaged materials within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold. A leak that ran hidden for weeks is a different case, and a mold inspection by a licensed assessor can map how far moisture spread.
Why can't one company test for mold and remove it?
Texas law keeps those jobs apart on purpose. Under Occupations Code Chapter 1958, one license holder may not both assess and remediate on the same project, so the inspector never sells the cleanup. At 25 contiguous square feet or more, a licensed remediator works from the assessor's written protocol.
Is the mold in my house toxic?
The CDC calls the phrase toxic mold inaccurate. Mold can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms in some people, so it is worth dealing with, but it is not a reason to panic.
Costs and insurance
Does anyone charge to come out and take a look?
An emergency inspection and moisture assessment is estimated at free to $200, often credited if the work goes ahead. A night, weekend or holiday visit can add an estimated $100 to $300. You hear about both before work begins.
Will my homeowners policy cover a burst pipe?
Often, if the break was sudden and accidental, but only your insurer can say. Policies commonly exclude long-term leaks, flood and sewer backup unless an endorsement was added. Ask how yours treats a leak under the slab, since some Texas policies limit foundation damage from plumbing leaks.
Will a contractor cover my deductible?
No. Texas Insurance Code Chapter 707 makes it illegal for a contractor to offer to waive, absorb or rebate a deductible. You pay the deductible yourself, and any contractor who offers otherwise is breaking the law.
Freezes, hail and the lake
Why did my pipe only leak after the freeze ended?
Ice can crack a line without any water escaping, because the ice itself plugs the break. When it thaws, the water runs. Lewisville crews answered 973 broken-pipe calls in the week of February 14 to 21, 2021, a reminder to check attics and exterior walls once a thaw begins.
My ceiling stained after rain, but the roof looks fine. Why?
Hail bruises the shingle mat without punching a hole, and the roof gives way weeks later in an ordinary storm. Water also travels along rafters before it reaches drywall, so the stain is often away from the damage. See roof leak water damage for what the crew can do.
Does a rising Lewisville Lake mean my house will flood?
Not by itself. The lake's pool of record, 537.02 feet on May 31, 2015, caused street flooding below the dam, and reports said water did not enter structures. Surface water from a lake or creek is a flood loss, which a standard homeowners policy typically excludes.
Question not answered here?
Call and ask. A technician will give you a straight answer, even if the answer is that you do not need us.