What happens on the first visit
The first visit is about getting water out and keeping it from spreading. Expect the crew to:
- Confirm the source is off, or tell you who to call if a pipe or fixture still needs repair.
- Pump standing water and run an extractor over carpet, pad and hard floors.
- Use moisture meters on walls, subfloor, cabinets and trim to map how far the water traveled.
- Pull wet pad, baseboard and any drywall too soaked to dry in place.
- Set air movers and dehumidifiers, then check readings over the next few days.
Drywall and wood keep wicking water up from a wet floor for hours. Fast extraction keeps that damage to the bottom few inches of a wall.
While you wait
- Close the main water valve if the water is coming from a supply line, appliance or water heater.
- Turn off breakers for wet rooms if you can reach the panel without standing in water. If the panel is wet, leave it alone and say so on the call.
- Get rugs, electronics, paperwork and photos up off the floor.
- Photograph every wet room before you move or throw anything out. Your adjuster will want those pictures.
- Keep a household shop vac away from sewage and away from water that has been sitting for days.
Before you dial, have these ready
- Where the water started, if you can tell: a supply line, the water heater, a toilet, a dishwasher, the creek, or rain getting in.
- Whether it is clean water, gray water from an appliance, or sewage.
- Which rooms and floors got wet, and about how long ago it started.
- Whether the water and the power to the wet rooms are off.
- Your neighborhood or nearest cross street, so the call goes to a crew that works your part of town.
Plan on a couple of minutes on the phone. That is usually enough to reach a local company and get a time for someone to come out.
The call is free. You don't have to hire anyone.
Water removal calls around Issaquah
Issaquah homes split into two groups, and they flood in different ways. Houses on the valley floor near Olde Town, Gilman Boulevard and the creek sit low, close to Issaquah Creek and its tributaries. When the creek runs over its banks in a big winter storm, garages and lower floors in those streets can take on water quickly.
Up the hills, in the Issaquah Highlands, Talus, Montreux and the neighborhoods on Squak and Cougar Mountain, most calls start inside the house. A supply line under a sink lets go, a second-floor washer hose splits, or a water heater in a garage rusts through. In a multi-story home, that water runs down through ceilings and walls before anyone sees it.
Townhomes and condos add one more problem: water crosses into the unit next door. If you live in a shared building, call your HOA or property manager after you call for help, so the neighbors' units get checked too.
Crews cover the 98027 and 98029 ZIP codes, from Providence Point and Overdale Park up to Grand Ridge, plus Sammamish, Snoqualmie, North Bend and Newcastle.