Water Damage | in Ahwatukee, AZEmergency extraction, drying and mold testing after a leak

Fire, smoke and odor damage: after the fire department leaves

The water damage line takes calls about fire, smoke and odor damage as well as the water left behind by firefighting. A house after a fire has two problems at once: what the flames, heat and smoke did, and what the hoses did. Soaked drywall and insulation, a pipe that failed from heat and a supply that must stay shut off are all water problems, and they sit beside the soot and the smell.

1. Do not go back in until the fire department says the home is safe.
2. Call your insurance company early and ask what it wants done first and who it recommends for cleaning.
3. Keep the main electrical power and water off until a professional says they are safe, and never use electrical tools while standing in water.
4. If you smell gas, leave at once and call the fire department.
5. Photograph the damage before anything is moved or cleaned.

FEMA's guidance adds that food exposed to heat, smoke or soot should be thrown out, and that mold may become an issue where water was used to put the fire out. The mold testing and remediation sections of this page apply there as well.

Sewage backup cleanup: a different kind of loss

Water from a sewage backup is not clean water, and it is handled differently. Contact with it carries a health risk, and porous materials that it soaks, such as carpet pad and drywall, are usually removed rather than dried. Keep children and pets away, avoid wading through it and do not run a household vacuum or fan through it. The plumber's part is clearing the line and finding the cause. Cleanup and disinfection follow.

Who pays for the line repair depends on where the backup began. Phoenix leaves the private sewer pipe, house to City main, with the owner, so a failed private line is the owner's repair. The repair itself is covered under sewer line repair, and this page covers the cleanup.

Damage assessment and major loss inspection: the extent of the water damage

Before any equipment is set, the crew finds out how far the water went. Water damage type matters too: clean, gray and black water are handled differently. Water travels along framing, under flooring and into walls, so the visible stain is often the smallest part of the loss. A moisture meter reads surfaces, a thermal camera shows cooler wet areas and a probe checks inside walls and under cabinets. The result is a map of what is wet, which becomes the drying plan.

Assessment is also where documentation starts. For a major loss, or a vacant home where water ran for days, the record matters: dated photos, moisture readings by room, a list of affected materials and a note of when the source was stopped. Insurers set their own requirements and coverage depends on your policy, so ask yours what it needs before materials are removed.

Water extraction and removal: the first hours

Standing water comes out first. Pumps and extractors remove what can be pumped, and wet-dry vacuums handle the rest. Carpet and pad that sit in water absorb it, and removing the water quickly limits how far it spreads into the structure. Emergency water extraction after a bathroom leak, a collapsed ceiling or a flooded kitchen follows the same order: stop the source, remove the standing water, then dry.

Burst pipe and plumbing leak damage: what to do first

The source comes first. Close the main shutoff valve, then call. Water damage from leaky pipes is slower and quieter than a burst but just as real. Water that keeps running makes every later step bigger. Once the water is stopped, extraction and drying begin. The leak itself is a plumbing job, covered under burst pipe repair and finding hidden leaks. City of Phoenix rules count replacement of concealed defective pipe as new work: a permit plus an inspection, which can affect when walls are closed.

Keep a short record: when you noticed the water, when you closed the valve, which rooms were wet and what you removed. Keep damaged materials until the crew or your insurer has seen them if you can do so safely.

Flooded crawl space, basement or whole-house flooding

Plumbing causes come first: a main supply break, a broken irrigation line or a sewage backup. Water in a crawl space or lower level of a house with one is drained, dried and checked for the cause. Flooding from storms or a river is a different problem, since the source is outside the plumbing and the water may be dirty. This page covers the plumbing-caused part and the cleanup after it.

Basement waterproofing and foundation inspection are other trades. A plumber's part is to check the supply and drain lines in the area for leaks. Exterior drainage and foundation repair belong to specialists in those fields. Multifamily, condominium and commercial properties add questions about who owns the damaged parts, so check with the association or the property manager early.

Mold remediation and removal: what happens and what to know

A residential mold remediation overview: mold grows where moisture lingers on organic materials such as drywall paper, wood and carpet pad. Drying fast is the main way to prevent it, and removing the source and the growth together is the benefit of remediation. When mold has already grown after a leak, the work is to contain the area, remove affected materials that cannot be cleaned, clean surfaces and dry the space.

Mold under a bathroom sink or at the base of a wall after a slow leak is a common case, and the leak has to be repaired first or it returns.

This page does not promise outcomes, and no crew can offer certainty about mold. Ask what the plan is, what will be removed, how the work area will be separated from the rest of the house and what readings will show when it is dry. People with asthma, allergies or weak immune systems should keep out of the area during the work and ask a doctor if symptoms continue.

Mold testing, inspection and assessment

Testing and inspection answer different questions. An inspection finds visible mold, moisture and the likely source. Testing takes air or surface samples to learn what is present, and results are explained, not promised. A musty smell with no visible growth, or a suspected spot under stairs or inside a wall, is a reason to ask for an assessment. A property manager or condominium association may ask for one as a record.

Ask who takes the samples, which laboratory reads them, when the results arrive and how the results will be explained. A result is a snapshot of that day and that spot, and it does not say how much remains behind a wall. Salvageability, meaning whether a material can be cleaned or must be replaced, is judged on its condition and explained to you rather than promised.

What happens on a job: the process, step by step

Water damage jobs follow a steady order. Understanding it helps you judge whether a crew is doing the work in a sound sequence, and lets you ask good questions at each stage.

1. 1Stop and assess

   Close the source, then map the wet area and record what is damaged.

2. 2Extract

   Remove standing water and wet materials that cannot be dried.

3. 3Dry

   Place air movers and dehumidifiers, and take moisture readings each day.

4. 4Clean and test

   Clean affected surfaces and, if needed, assess for mold.

5. 5Document and rebuild

   Hand over the drying log and photos; reconstruction is separate work.

Also covered here: leaks from roofs, ceilings, air conditioners and irrigation, insurance claims and loss documentation, and apartment, condominium and commercial losses. Mitigation, meaning the steps that limit further damage, is coordinated with the plumber who stops the source. Plumbing problems that are not water damage are on the other service pages, and plumbing calls at night are taken on the 24/7 emergency line on the homepage.

Water damage questions answered