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.
A leak at 2 a.m. doesn't wait for business hours, and neither do we. If water's getting into your home or business in Dennis, Texas, call and we'll line up a nearby specialist who brings the extraction gear and dehumidifiers to deal with it properly.
Call Now: (888) 596-0163Someone picks up, day or night.
Homes around Dennis are newer than in 99% of the 28,807 places we track, which changes what tends to go wrong more than whether it does.
Dennis gets less than 75% of the 30,291 places on our list. Dry places aren't off the hook. Hard ground sheds water fast, so one big storm can run straight to your door.
A look at the roof, gutters and downspouts before May is the cheapest repair you'll ever make.
Floods top this list, and flood damage needs its own kind of cleanup, because of what the water carries in. We've left out 3 for other causes, such as fire or the pandemic.
Before anyone arrives
Go through these in order and skip anything that doesn't feel safe. None of it is worth getting hurt over.
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
Most leaks in a newer house don't start in the walls. They start at the things connected to them: the water heater, the washing machine hoses, the fridge's ice maker line and the flexible connectors under sinks and toilets.
Have a look at each one once a year and replace anything bulging, rusty or kinked. Many water heaters from the early building boom are now reaching the 8 to 12 year point where they tend to fail, so check the date on yours.
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 southern plains
Spring storms here don't mess around. Hail cracks shingles and skylights, and the rain can come faster than the gutters can take it. You might not see the leak until days later, on a ceiling two rooms away from the actual damage. A hard freeze is rarer, but when one lasts a day or two it splits pipes that were never protected for it.
Houses here were built with the heat in mind more than the water. Carpet over concrete wicks up a leak fast. HVAC units and water heaters often sit in the attic, right over your living room. And if your home's on a slab, a leak underneath may only show as damp carpet along one wall, or as baseboards starting to swell.
The soil doesn't help much. Dense clay and flat lots keep water sitting after a storm, and grading that once sent water away from your house can settle over time. If your gutters empty right against the foundation, that's the first thing to fix.
Water under a slab rarely shows on top. Acoustic equipment listens for the break in the line, thermal imaging maps the wet area, and drying then goes after the carpet, pad and bottom plates above it. It saves a lot of demolition.
When you call
First we'll want to know three things: where you are in Dennis, 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 Parker County. That goes for homeowners, landlords and businesses alike.
Water travels through walls without leaving a mark, so the first step is measuring, not mopping. A thermal camera and moisture meters map the wet area. Next comes the question of what's in the water. Category 1 is clean supply water. Category 2 has been in contact with something, like a dishwasher overflow. Category 3 is sewage or floodwater, and it calls for containment: plastic sheeting, plus negative air machines with HEPA filters, so nothing spreads through the house.
Getting the water out is the quick part. A truck-mounted or portable extractor handles that. After that, air movers sweep across wet surfaces, and low grain refrigerant (LGR) dehumidifiers take that moisture out of the room. In cold or dense spaces, desiccant dehumidifiers work better. You'll hear the machines day and night for a while, and daily psychrometric readings of the air show that they're working.
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.
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.
The exception is dirty water. Whatever soft material sewage or floodwater touched has to be removed, and the rest gets an antimicrobial cleaning. Don't relight a gas heater or water heater that sat in water, and if a floor feels soft, stay off it and mention it on the call.
Our network covers Dennis and the towns around it in Parker County. That includes homes, rentals and businesses, day or night.
Usually the same day, and often within a few hours. It depends on who's closest and how busy Parker County is. If a storm has just gone through, everyone's calling at once, so call as soon as you can.
Some of it, yes. A bit of clean water on tile is a job for a mop and a fan. It's different when water has got under the flooring or into a wall, or when it's dirty. Household fans can't dry a wall cavity, and sewage isn't safe to handle.
Usually three to five days for the drying alone. The specialist can tell you more after the first readings. Materials such as hardwood, plaster and concrete hold on to water longer, and repairs can only begin when they're dry.
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.
Many water losses are covered, so it's worth checking. The usual line is sudden versus gradual: a burst supply line is generally covered, and a slow drip often isn't. Flood damage needs a separate flood policy, and a sewer backup may need an extra rider.
Tell us what's happening, and we'll line up a specialist from our network in Parker County. That's all you need to do for now.