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 Douglas, Wyoming, 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 Douglas are newer than in 59% of the 28,807 places we track, which changes what tends to go wrong more than whether it does.
Around 92% of the 30,291 places we track get more than this. Low totals can fool you. Roofs and drains get little practice here, so problems tend to show up all at once in the one big storm.
If you've been meaning to clear the gutters, do it before May comes around.
A clean record for weather and water. Inside the house, it's still the same pipes, tanks and hoses as anywhere else. Not counted here: 2 more for things like fires 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.
Mold can get started within 24 to 48 hours, so it's worth calling even if the worst seems over.
Typical build year
By now, most homes from this era have had some plumbing replaced, and the leftover sections are usually the risk. Look for gray galvanized pipe next to newer copper or plastic, because those joints can corrode. If you've had a few sewer backups, the old line itself may be the cause.
It's also worth replacing rubber washing machine hoses with braided steel. It's a ten-minute job, and those hoses cause a surprising number of flooded laundry rooms.
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 mountains and high plains
Cold is the main story, but not the only one. Pipes freeze when the heat fails, or in any wall that's a little too exposed. Then comes the melt, with more water than frozen ground can take. And a hailstorm in July can open up a roof in minutes.
Basements are common across the region, along with frost-protected plumbing that can still fail when the heat goes off. Insulated walls with vapor barriers can hold water inside the cavity. Second homes and cabins may sit empty long enough for a small leak to turn into a very big one.
Come spring, there's often more water around than the ground can take. Window wells fill, walkout doors get tested, and clay or rocky soil keeps it all close to the house. Clear a path for the melt before it starts.
Don't be fooled by the dry air. A wall can feel fine in a day or two and still be wet in the middle, so a moisture meter, not your hand, decides when the job's done. Deep readings matter most behind vapor barriers.
When you call
The call itself is short. Tell us your address in Douglas, what got wet and if it's still coming in. We'll connect you with a restoration specialist from our network who covers Converse 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.
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.
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.
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.
A lot of it can stay if you move quickly. If the water was clean, the carpet is often fine once the pad is replaced. Hardwood needs slow, careful drying with mats, and it may want refinishing at the end. Drywall is the easy one: a flood cut takes off the wet part, a little above the waterline, and the top of the wall is untouched.
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.
We take calls from all over Douglas and the rest of Converse County, for houses, apartments and commercial buildings. If you're not sure you're close enough, just ask.
Usually the same day, and often within a few hours. It depends on who's closest and how busy Converse County is. If a storm has just gone through, everyone's calling at once, so call as soon as you can.
If it's small, clean and caught quickly, go ahead. If it has been sitting, has gone under the floor or smells bad, that's the time to call. The trouble with doing it yourself is that everything can look dry on top and still be wet underneath.
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.
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.
Tell us what's happening, and we'll line up a specialist from our network in Converse County. That's all you need to do for now.