Straight advice from the dispatch deskYour First Hour After a Leak or Flood
The steps you take before the crew pulls up can save a floor, a wall, or an entire room. None of it takes the place of professional drying, but it does buy you time.
Start by stopping the water. Locate the main shutoff and turn it clockwise as far as it will go. In older homes near downtown Petoskey it is often in the basement on the front wall where the line comes in from the street. In newer subdivisions it is usually in the garage, a utility closet, or near the water heater. Condo and apartment owners may find their unit shutoff under a sink or behind an access panel, and building maintenance can close the riser if it comes to that.
Make the space safe. If water is near outlets, power strips or the electrical panel, do not walk through it to reach the breaker. Call the utility or wait for the crew. Keep an eye on the ceiling. Bulging or sagging drywall is holding water and can drop without warning, so keep everyone, pets included, out from beneath it.
Document everything before it moves. Shoot wide photos of each room, then close-ups of the source, the waterline on the walls, and damaged belongings. A quick walk-through video with the date visible is even better, and your adjuster will appreciate it.
Start air moving, carefully. If the power is safe and the water is clean, open interior doors and run a few household fans to keep air moving across wet surfaces. Do not open windows on a hot, humid day, since you will pull more moisture into the house than you remove. In cold weather, leave the heat on so pipes stay thawed and wet materials keep releasing moisture.
Lift what you can. Move rugs, electronics, paperwork and anything with sentimental value to a dry room. Put foil squares or plastic lids under furniture legs so finish and rust do not bleed into wet carpet. Leave built-ins and heavy pieces for the crew.
Things not to do: Do not run a household vacuum on wet floors, do not turn the HVAC on high hoping it will dry things out, and do not start tearing out drywall before it has been photographed and measured. If the water came from a toilet, a floor drain or outdoors, treat it as contaminated and keep your bare hands out of it.
Then make the call. The earlier extraction begins, the more of your home stays where it is instead of going out to the curb. If any of it feels unclear, the dispatcher can talk you through it while the contractor is driving over.