Emergency Water Damage Restoration
This is the call for water that's coming in right now. We get a local specialist on the way to stop the source, pull the water out and start drying the same day.
Call Now: (888) 596-0163Water in the house? Call now, and we'll find you a local specialist.
Water where it shouldn't be gets stressful fast, and it keeps spreading while you work out what to do. If it's a burst pipe, a soaked ceiling or storm water at the door in Hollister, Missouri, call us. We'll get a specialist from our network of local restoration companies moving toward you, with extraction equipment and dehumidifiers.
Call Now: (888) 596-0163Someone picks up, day or night.
Homes around Hollister are newer than in 82% of the 28,807 places we track, which changes what tends to go wrong more than whether it does.
65% of the 30,291 places we track come out drier. That's plenty of water to find a tired roof, a blocked downspout or a low spot by the foundation.
If you've been meaning to clear the gutters, do it before May comes around.
Flood is the big one on this list, and a standard homeowners policy doesn't usually cover it. We've left out 2 for other causes, such as fire or the pandemic.
Before anyone arrives
No need to get it perfect. These are the things that make the biggest difference, in order.
Look for the main valve near the meter or where the line comes into the house, and turn it slowly, since older valves can stick. If it's one fixture, its own shutoff valve will do.
If you can reach the breaker panel without stepping in water, switch off the wet rooms. If you can't, leave it alone, stay out of the water and tell us when you call.
Before you clean up, photograph the water, where it came from and whatever it damaged. Your insurance company will ask, and you only get one chance at those shots.
Move rugs, papers, photos and electronics to a dry room, and prop furniture up off the wet floor. Everything else can wait.
If the water is clean and the power's safe, open interior doors and run the fans you have. Stay out if it's sewage or floodwater, and keep that air away from the rest of the house.
You've got about 24 to 48 hours to start drying before rot and mold become the bigger problem.
Typical build year
Homes from these years often had plastic plumbing put in, and one type stands out. Polybutylene, usually gray and often stamped PB, was widely used until the mid 1990s and is known for failing without warning, usually at the fittings.
Check the exposed lines near your water heater and under the sinks. While you're there, look at the tank's age on its label. Eight to twelve years is about all you can expect, and when one fails, it fails on the floor.
Call Now: (888) 596-0163
This is the call for water that's coming in right now. We get a local specialist on the way to stop the source, pull the water out and start drying the same day.
Call Now: (888) 596-0163
The more water that comes out at this stage, the less has to be dried later. Pumps and extraction units clear carpet, pad, hardwood and tile, then everything the water touched gets cleaned.
Call Now: (888) 596-0163
Floodwater is never clean. It carries soil and sewage, so mud and silt get cleared, soaked drywall and insulation get cut out, and what stays gets disinfected.
Call Now: (888) 596-0163
If your home has a basement, a failed sump pump or a backed-up drain can fill it fast. It gets pumped out, the concrete and block get dried, and someone finds out how the water got in.
Call Now: (888) 596-0163
Air movers and dehumidifiers run until the meters say your walls, subfloor and framing are back to normal. Not until they look dry. Until the readings prove it.
Call Now: (888) 596-0163
Once the structure is dry, the drywall, flooring, trim and paint go back. You'll have photos and notes for your claim along the way.
Call Now: (888) 596-0163The Midwest
Severe storms and hard winters both cause trouble here. Spring and summer bring thunderstorms that drop inches of rain and overload sewers, and river flooding can follow days of heavy rain upstream. In winter, deep cold bursts pipes, and ice dams push meltwater through ceilings.
The basement is usually where it happens. Block walls can seep, the sump pump may fail just when you need it and the floor drain can run backward in a storm. A battery backup on the pump is one of the best small things you can buy.
Heavy clay and glacial till hold water close to the foundation. After long rain, the pressure pushes it through cracks and the joint where the walls meet the floor. That's why basements leak here even without any plumbing fault.
Basement air doesn't go anywhere by itself. So the drying has to create the movement, with air movers along the walls and floor, and big dehumidifiers running nonstop. Concrete and block give up water slowly, so basement drying takes patience.
When you call
Don't worry about having the right words. Just tell us what you're seeing. We'll get your address and a rough idea of the damage, then put you through to a specialist in our network who works around Hollister. They handle homes and commercial property, and they'll give you a time.
Before any equipment goes in, the specialist needs to know two things: how far the water got, and how dirty it is. Thermal cameras and moisture meters answer the first. For the second, there are three answers: Category 1, clean water, Category 2, dirty water, or Category 3, sewage and floodwater. With Category 3, plastic containment goes up and negative air machines with HEPA filters keep your house's air clean.
Then comes the drying, and this is the part people underestimate. Standing water comes out first, with truck-mounted or portable units. Air movers then push moist air off wet surfaces, while low grain refrigerant (LGR) dehumidifiers pull the water out of the air. If your house runs cold or the materials are dense, desiccant units can take over. Each day, readings of temperature and humidity, known as psychrometric readings, show whether the machines are keeping up.
The finish line isn't when things look dry. Readings from dry wood and drywall in your own house set the target, called the dry standard, and the equipment stays until the wet areas reach it. That's the IICRC S500 standard for water damage at work, and those daily records are what your insurance company wants to see.
Most people expect to lose more than they do. Carpet that's only had clean water on it can usually be dried, though the pad underneath gets replaced. Drying mats can bring cupped hardwood back, given time. Walls often need only a flood cut, where the bottom of the drywall comes off and new board goes in.
If it was sewage or floodwater, porous things usually can't be saved. Carpet, pad and soaked insulation go in the dumpster, and studs and hard floors get cleaned and disinfected. Keep clear of any gas appliance that was underwater, and of any floor with a bit of bounce, until a professional has checked them.
We take calls from all over Hollister and the rest of Taney County, for houses, apartments and commercial buildings. If you're not sure you're close enough, just ask.
We aim to have a specialist on the way the same day, often within hours. When a big storm hits all of Taney County at once, it can take longer, so it pays to call early. The steps above will help while you wait.
You can handle a minor spill if it's clean water and it hasn't gone anywhere. For anything that's reached the carpet pad, the walls or the floor below, professional drying really does make a difference, and floodwater or sewage should be left to people with the right protective gear.
Plan on several days. Three to five is typical, though a small, fresh leak may be quicker and a large flood may take over a week. The readings decide when it's done, not the calendar.
Hardwood is more forgiving than people think. Floor drying mats pull moisture up through the boards, and refinishing can take care of what's left. Carpet can usually stay if the water was clean, as long as the pad's replaced. If the water was dirty, it can't.
It usually depends on where the water came from. A homeowners policy usually covers a burst pipe. Outside flooding needs separate flood insurance, and sewer backup often needs an add-on. It's worth reading your policy, and it's worth having those photos.
Call now. Tell us your address, and we'll find you the closest available specialist in Taney County.