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.
Maybe a pipe let go, maybe the storm found a way in. Either way, you don't have to sort this out alone. Call us from East Farmingdale, New York, and we'll put you in touch with a restoration specialist from our network, with truck-mounted extraction and dehumidifiers for the drying that follows.
Call Now: (888) 596-0163Someone picks up, day or night.
Housing here is older than in 69% of the 28,807 places on our list. Age alone won't cause a leak, but it does mean more pipe that's been in the wall a long time.
Around 60% of the 30,291 places we track get more than this. Less rain doesn't mean less risk indoors. Most damage here starts with plumbing, and when a big storm does come, dry ground doesn't soak it up.
A look at the roof, gutters and downspouts before September is the cheapest repair you'll ever make.
Tropical systems come first here. After one passes, check the attic as well as the rooms below it. We've left out 4 for other causes, such as fire or the pandemic.
Before anyone arrives
A few minutes now can save days of drying later. If something doesn't feel safe, skip it and tell us when you call.
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 decades often still have their first galvanized pipes, or a mix of galvanized and newer copper. Where those two metals meet is a common place for a leak to start. Some homes from the middle of this period also have sewer lines made of a tar-paper pipe called Orangeburg, which sags and collapses with age.
Look where pipes join around the water heater and under sinks, and check for rust or green crust. Slow drains in several rooms are worth a sewer camera, and that's a lot cheaper than a backup.
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 Northeast
Winter's hard on houses here. A pipe in an outside wall can freeze overnight, and a roof with an ice dam leaks even though it's perfectly sound. Nor'easters hit the coast with wind and flooding, and in late summer the leftovers of a tropical storm can flood towns far from the ocean.
A lot of the homes here have been through a century of repairs. Radiator lines, old steam pipes and patched-in plumbing can all let go without warning. Plaster and old-growth hardwood are worth saving, but they need gentle, slow drying, so they don't crack or warp.
The ground fills up quickly, and bedrock sends water sideways. Old stone foundations have plenty of gaps for it to find. If your basement only gets wet in spring, or after long rain, the ground is the likely cause, and a sump pump is worth a look.
In a cold house, water hangs around. It barely leaves chilled drywall, stone or hardwood on its own, so winter jobs often bring in controlled heat along with the dehumidifiers to get things moving again.
When you call
The call itself is short. Tell us your address in East Farmingdale, what got wet and if it's still coming in. We'll connect you with a restoration specialist from our network who covers Suffolk County, and they'll tell you what they can do and when. It doesn't matter if it's a house, a rental or a business.
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.
Expect the drying to take longer than the cleanup. After a truck-mounted or portable unit has pulled out the standing water, air movers and LGR (low grain refrigerant) dehumidifiers run around the clock. Desiccant units get swapped in for cold rooms and dense materials. The specialist takes psychrometric readings each day, tracking temperature and humidity to see how fast the air is taking up water.
So how do you know it's done? It's done when the numbers say so. A dry baseline from untouched materials in your house is the target, and each wet area has to reach it before the equipment leaves. It follows the IICRC S500 standard, and you get a record of the readings for your insurance claim.
Don't write everything off just because it's wet. Clean-water carpet can usually be dried where it sits, with new pad underneath. Hardwood floors respond well to floor drying mats if you get to them early, though you may see some cupping for a while. And drywall usually needs a flood cut near the floor, not a whole new wall.
Sewage and floodwater are a different story. Carpet they've touched has to go, and what stays gets cleaned and treated with an antimicrobial. Two more things to check before you use the room again: a gas appliance that sat in water, and any floor that feels soft underfoot.
Wherever you are in East Farmingdale, the number's the same. We'll connect you with a specialist working in Suffolk County, for a home or a commercial building.
We aim to have a specialist on the way the same day, often within hours. When a big storm hits all of Suffolk County at once, it can take longer, so it pays to call early. The steps above will help while you wait.
Small and clean, yes. Large or dirty, no. A shop vac and fans can deal with a little water on a hard surface, but they won't reach what's soaked into drywall and subfloor. That hidden moisture is where mold and rot get started.
It depends on how much got wet and for how long. A fresh leak in one room could be dry in a couple of days, while a soaked floor and walls may need a week. You'll see daily readings, so you'll know how it's going.
It depends on time and on the water. For hardwood, floor drying panels and patience can do a lot, though refinishing may still be needed. For carpet, clean water usually means new pad and the same carpet. Contaminated water means replacing both.
Sudden and accidental damage, such as a pipe that bursts, is usually covered. Slow leaks and rising floodwater usually aren't, unless you've got flood insurance. Take pictures before cleaning up and keep every receipt, because your insurance company will ask.
Day or night, someone picks up. We'll connect you with a specialist who works in Suffolk County.