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.
Whatever got wet in your Loyalhanna home, the next few hours matter more than the next few days. Call us and we'll find a restoration specialist from our network who works in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and can get dehumidifiers and extraction equipment to you soon.
Call Now: (888) 596-0163Someone picks up, day or night.
Homes around Loyalhanna are older than in 80% of the 28,807 places we track. That usually means more joints, more repairs and more places for water to get out.
That's wetter than 78% of the 30,291 places we track. A normal year here brings enough water to find any weak spot in a roof or along a foundation wall.
If you've been meaning to clear the gutters, do it before May comes around.
Ice and snow come first here. It's the hard freeze that does the damage, so know where your main valve is before one arrives. That leaves out 2 for causes such as fire or the pandemic.
Before anyone arrives
These are the steps that help most before anyone gets there. Do what you safely can.
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.
Mold can get started within 24 to 48 hours, so it's worth calling even if the worst seems over.
Typical build year
A lot of plumbing from these years has reached the end of its life. Galvanized steel narrows from the inside as it rusts, so weak water pressure can be a warning, not just an annoyance. Cast iron drains can crack, and fittings where old meets new are often the first thing to go.
Have a look under the kitchen and bathroom sinks and around the water heater. Any rust, drips or green staining is worth having a plumber check before it turns into a call to us.
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
Cold drives much of the damage here. Long freezes split pipes in outside walls, ice dams force meltwater under shingles, and nor'easters bring heavy snow, rain and coastal flooding together. The remains of a tropical storm can also stall over the region and flood rivers far inland.
This is some of the oldest housing in the country. Stone and brick foundations let groundwater seep through, plaster walls and hardwood floors need slow drying, and radiators and steam systems add old pipework that can fail with little warning.
Glacial soil and shallow bedrock limit how much water the ground can take. Rain and snowmelt move along the rock and into stone foundations, which is why many cellars here get wet even when no pipe has failed.
Water won't leave a cold wall quickly. Bringing in controlled heat warms the materials and speeds things up, and dehumidifiers catch what comes out. That's especially useful with stone foundations and old plaster.
When you call
First we'll want to know three things: where you are in Loyalhanna, where the water came from and if it's stopped. From there, we'll connect you with a local specialist from our network, so you're speaking to someone who works in Westmoreland County. That goes for homeowners, landlords and businesses alike.
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.
Drying is a process, and you'll have strange machines in the house for a few days. The bulk of the water goes first, by truck-mounted or portable extractor. Air movers then lift moisture off surfaces, and low grain refrigerant (LGR) dehumidifiers remove it from the air. A cold building or dense material may need desiccant units instead. Daily psychrometric readings show if the air is still pulling water out.
A wall can feel dry and still hold plenty of water. That's why the specialist measures a dry standard from unaffected wood and drywall nearby and keeps the equipment running until the wet areas match. This is the method in the IICRC S500 standard, and those moisture logs back up your insurance claim.
More than you'd think, if it's caught early. Carpet soaked with clean water can often be dried in place once the pad's been pulled. Hardwood is worth trying to save too, with floor drying mats and slow drying, though it may need refinishing. Drywall that's wet only at the base can be cut a little above the waterline instead of being replaced to the ceiling, which is what a flood cut is.
Contaminated water is where the rules get strict. Sewage or floodwater means the carpet and pad come out, along with wet insulation, and what's left gets an antimicrobial treatment. It's also not safe to relight a gas appliance that's been underwater until someone's checked it, and a soft floor needs a look before anyone stands on it.
Calls come to us from homeowners, landlords and business owners across Loyalhanna and Westmoreland County. Give us your address, and we'll find out who's closest.
Often within hours. Our network covers Westmoreland County, and we'll look for whoever can reach you soonest. Storms are the exception, because every crew in the area gets busy, so please don't wait to see if it gets worse.
A small spill of clean water on a hard floor? Sure. Towels and a fan will do it. But if the water's in the walls, the carpet pad or the subfloor, or it came from a sewer or a flood, you'll want it extracted and properly dried. What you can't see is what keeps causing damage.
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.
Quite often. Floor mats and steady air can save hardwood that would otherwise be torn out, so tell the specialist about it first thing. With carpet, it all depends on the water: clean means dry it and replace the pad, sewage or floodwater means it comes out.
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.
Day or night, someone picks up. We'll connect you with a specialist who works in Westmoreland County.