A sump pump is overwhelmed by a summer cloudburst and a Belair finished basement takes water
What homeowners notice
A short, violent thunderstorm drops more rain than the yard can take. The sump pit fills faster than the pump can empty it, and water spreads across the carpet of a finished family room in a sixty-year-old house, wetting the paneling along one wall.
What we do
The crew confirms the power to the room is off, pumps the depth down, extracts the carpet and pulls the soaked pad. Meters check the paneling and the bottom plate, a few inches of wet drywall behind it are cut back, and air movers and a dehumidifier go in. The technician notes the pump discharge ran close to the foundation and suggests asking a plumber about it.
What to expect
Readings reach the dry goal after several days of checks, the owner gets the photographs and moisture log to share with the insurer, and the paneling and carpet are quoted once the wall tests dry.
Flash-flood water reaches a ground-floor apartment near the Northeast Branch
What homeowners notice
After a fast evening storm, runoff from the parking area enters a first-floor unit under the patio door and covers the living room and hall. The tenant photographs the waterline and writes to the management office before calling.
What we do
Treating the water as Category 3 from the start, the crew removes the carpet, pad and lower drywall, extracts the floor, cleans and disinfects the slab and sets drying equipment. It reports to the tenant and the management office where the water travelled, including along the shared wall to the next unit.
What to expect
The unit tests dry after several days. The tenant has a dated record, and who arranges the rebuild is settled between the tenant, the landlord and their insurers, not by the crew.
River water backs into a basement near Laurel's historic district after days of rain
What homeowners notice
Several days of rain saturate the ground and the Patuxent rises. Water enters an older house's basement through the foundation and a floor drain, leaving silt over the slab and soaking stored boxes and the stair stringers.
What we do
The crew lowers the water in stages, shovels and vacuums the silt, removes the porous contents and lower drywall and cleans and disinfects the slab and framing. Meters follow the moisture up the walls before air movers and dehumidifiers are set.
What to expect
The owner is told that flood and backup are covered by different policies, and is advised to photograph the high-water mark and read the policy. Drying continues until the framing and slab read dry.
A pinhole leak in an old line wets a plaster wall in a Hyattsville house
What homeowners notice
A brown ring grows on the dining-room plaster below a second-floor bath. The water meter keeps moving with every fixture off, and the owner hears a faint hiss inside the wall.
What we do
The owner closes the main and the crew maps the wet area with a thermal camera and meters, finding the damp path through the wall and the ceiling below. Wet insulation is removed, a small section of plaster is opened for access and the cavity is dried with controlled airflow while a plumber replaces the corroded section.
What to expect
The plaster reads dry after several days of repeat readings, and repairs are quoted afterward with the owner told which parts of the original trim could stay.
A bulging washing machine hose floods a laundry closet in an Odenton townhome
What homeowners notice
While the owners are out, a supply hose behind a second-floor washer splits. Water runs under the laundry closet floor, down through the ceiling of the room below and into the wall of the kitchen.
What we do
The crew extracts the closet and the room below, releases water held in the ceiling, removes wet insulation and a strip of drywall and checks the cabinet bases with meters. Air movers and a dehumidifier run while an appliance technician replaces the hose and checks the shut-off valves.
What to expect
Readings reach the dry goal, the owners keep the log, and the crew explains that the ceiling and cabinet repairs are quoted after the structure tests dry.
An aging water heater weeps for weeks, then fails across a finished lower level in Crofton
What homeowners notice
A tank in a basement utility room has been weeping at the base. One evening the seam opens and warm water spreads under a wall into a carpeted rec room, wetting carpet, pad and baseboards.
What we do
The owner closes the cold-water valve and the breaker, and the crew extracts the room, removes the pad and the lowest strip of drywall, checks the framing and sets air movers and a dehumidifier. A plumber replaces the heater and pipes the relief valve safely to a drain.
What to expect
The wall and floor reach their dry goal after several days, and the owner is told to ask the insurer how the policy treats the damage, since the crew cannot say.
Sewage comes up a basement floor drain in an attached Mount Rainier house
What homeowners notice
After heavy rain, dark water with a sewer smell rises through the basement floor drain and spreads over the concrete to a stack of stored boxes and the base of the stair wall. The neighbor on the shared wall reports the same problem.
What we do
Working in boots, gloves and respirators, the crew treats the water as Category 3, extracts it and removes the soaked boxes and porous materials. It cleans and disinfects the floor and wall base, seals the area from the living floors and dries the cellar. The owner is told to call WSSC Water for an on-site finding before hiring a plumber.
What to expect
The basement tests dry after a few days, the owner has photographs and the utility's finding for a claim, and a backup endorsement is the topic for the next call to the insurance agent.
A sprinkler pipe lets go over an office suite in a Jessup business park
What homeowners notice
A joint in a sprinkler branch fails over a small office at the front of a warehouse unit. Water drops through ceiling tiles onto desks, carpet and a wall of file cabinets, and reaches the edge of the stockroom.
What we do
The fire-protection contractor isolates the line while the crew extracts the floor, removes wet ceiling tiles and insulation and moves files out of the water. Containment keeps the stockroom clear, and equipment is placed so the loading area can keep working.
What to expect
The office reaches its dry goal after several days, the owner receives photographs and readings for the landlord and insurers, and the lease decides who arranges the rebuild.
1 night, then drying typical visit
Have the same problem?
Call and tell us what you see. We will tell you what it likely is and what it usually costs before anyone drives out.
