Water & fire damage guides
Grouped by what you need: stopping water right now, dealing with insurance, finding hidden damage and mold, understanding the restoration process, and preparing for monsoon, wildfire and freeze season.
Water is in the house right now
Start here if water is still coming in or standing on the floor. These guides cover the first hour: stopping the source, staying safe around electricity, and what to photograph before anything is moved.
- What to Do After a Pipe BurstsShut off the main water valve immediately, turn off power to any wet area, open a faucet at the lowest point to drain the lines, photograph the damage, then call a plumber for the pipe and a restoration company for the water.
- Water Heater Leaking? What to Do Right NowClose the cold-water valve on top of the tank, turn off the power (electric) or set the gas valve to 'pilot' or 'off', and connect a hose to the drain valve if the tank itself is leaking. Then check nearby floors and walls for water that spread before you noticed.
- Ceiling Leaking From an Upstairs Bathroom: What to DoA leak through the ceiling under a bathroom usually comes from a failed toilet seal, a shower pan or grout, a supply line, or a drain joint. Turn off water to the fixture or the house, drain a sagging ceiling into a bucket, and document the damage. The ceiling cavity needs to be dried properly, not just repainted.
- AC Leaking Water Into the House: What to DoAn AC leaking water indoors is usually caused by a clogged condensate drain line, a cracked drain pan, or a frozen coil that melts. Turn off the system, clear the line or call HVAC service, and dry any wet ceilings or floors quickly to prevent mold.
- What to Do After a House FireDon't re-enter until the fire department says it's safe. Contact your insurer, secure the property with board-up and roof tarping, avoid touching soot-covered surfaces, and have soot, smoke odor and firefighting water addressed within days.
- When to Call a Water Damage Restoration CompanyCall a restoration company when water has soaked into walls, ceilings, subfloor or carpet pad; when more than one room is affected; when water came from sewage or outside flooding; or when materials have been wet for more than 24 hours.
Ready for help? 24-hour water damage restoration
Insurance, claims and costs
What policies usually treat differently (sudden leaks vs. floods vs. slow leaks), what to document for a claim, and what drives the cost of drying and rebuild. The adjuster decides coverage; these guides help you ask the right questions.
- How to File a Water Damage Insurance Claim, Step by StepStop the water, photograph everything, notify your insurer promptly, start mitigation to prevent further damage, keep every receipt and moisture log, meet the adjuster with documentation ready, and review the estimate line by line before signing off.
- What to Document for a Water Damage Insurance ClaimPhotograph and video the source, the standing water and every damaged room and item before cleanup; keep damaged items or samples if possible; save receipts for emergency repairs; and get written moisture readings and a scope of work from the restoration company.
- Water Damage vs. Flood Damage: What Insurance CoversHomeowners insurance generally covers sudden, accidental water damage from inside the home — like a burst pipe or failed water heater. Flood damage from outside water rising at ground level is usually excluded and requires a separate flood insurance policy.
- Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Slab Leaks?Many homeowners policies cover the water damage from a sudden slab leak and the cost to access the pipe (breaking out and replacing flooring), but not the repair of the pipe itself. Leaks that went on for a long time may be excluded as gradual damage. Coverage depends on your policy.
- What Affects the Cost of Water Damage Restoration?Water damage restoration cost depends mostly on how large the affected area is, the water category (clean, gray or sewage), which materials got wet, how many days of drying equipment are needed, and how much has to be removed and rebuilt.
- Slab Leak Water Damage Cost in TucsonA slab leak has two separate costs: the plumbing repair (locating the leak, then a spot repair or rerouting the line) and the water damage restoration (drying, removing wet flooring and baseboards, and rebuilding). The total depends on how long the leak ran, the flooring type and how much of the house got wet.
- Sewage Backup Cleanup Cost in TucsonSewage cleanup costs more than clean-water drying because sewage is Category 3 water: porous materials it touches, such as carpet, pad and lower drywall, usually must be removed and the area sanitized. Cost depends on how much area was affected, the flooring, and whether the water reached walls or cabinets.
- Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration CostFire restoration cost depends on how far soot and odor spread, the type of smoke residue, water damage from firefighting, how much content needs cleaning or pack-out, and how much of the structure must be rebuilt. A small kitchen fire with contained smoke costs far less than a fire that affected the whole house or attic.
Ready for help? Water damage restoration
What restoration involves
How long drying takes, what can be saved, whether you can stay in the house, and the difference between mitigation and rebuild.
- Water Mitigation vs. Water Restoration: What's the Difference?Water mitigation is the emergency phase — stopping the water, extracting it, removing materials that can't be saved and drying the structure. Water restoration is the repair phase that follows — replacing drywall, flooring, cabinets and finishes. Insurers often handle them as separate estimates.
- How Long Does Water Damage Restoration Take?Extraction usually takes a few hours, structural drying typically takes three to five days, and repairs take days to a few weeks depending on how much was removed. Larger losses, contaminated water and hard-to-dry materials take longer.
- How to Dry Out a House After a LeakStop the water, remove standing water, pull up wet rugs and pad, run the AC and any dehumidifiers you have, and open cabinets and closets. For anything beyond a small, surface-only spill, professional drying with extraction, dehumidifiers, air movers and moisture readings is what gets water out of walls and subfloors.
- Can Water-Damaged Drywall Be Saved?Drywall wet with clean water for less than a day or two, that isn't sagging or crumbling and has no insulation soaked behind it, can often be dried in place. Drywall soaked by contaminated water, wet for several days, sagging, or showing mold should be cut out and replaced.
- What to Throw Away After Water DamageWhat you keep after water damage depends on the water type and how long items stayed wet. Porous items like mattresses, carpet pad, and upholstered furniture soaked by contaminated water should usually be discarded; hard, non-porous items can often be cleaned and kept.
- Can You Stay in Your House During Water Damage Restoration?Most people can stay home during a typical clean-water dry-out, though equipment is noisy and warm. Leaving is usually recommended for sewage or contaminated water, major tear-out, loss of the only bathroom or kitchen, or for anyone with respiratory conditions, infants or a weakened immune system.
- Water Damage Categories 1, 2 and 3 ExplainedCategory 1 is clean water from a supply line. Category 2 is gray water that may contain contaminants, like washing-machine or dishwasher discharge. Category 3 is grossly contaminated water such as sewage or outside floodwater, which requires removal of porous materials it touched.
- Smoke Damage Cleanup: What to ExpectSmoke cleanup starts with identifying the residue type, then HEPA vacuuming and dry-sponging loose soot, wet-cleaning surfaces with residue-specific cleaners, cleaning HVAC, and treating odor. Light damage often takes days; heavy damage involves removal and rebuild over weeks.
Ready for help? Structural drying
Monsoon, wildfire and freeze season
Arizona's seasonal risks: monsoon storms from mid-June through September, wildfire smoke, and the occasional hard freeze, plus the risks specific to Pinal County.
- Preparing Your Tucson Home for Monsoon SeasonBefore mid-June, clear roof scuppers, canales and drains; have flat-roof seams and parapet caps inspected; check evaporative coolers and AC condensate lines; and make sure yard grading and gutters move runoff away from the foundation and doors.
- Wildfire Smoke and Your Home: Cleanup After a Nearby FireAfter a nearby wildfire, replace HVAC filters, keep windows closed until air quality improves, HEPA-vacuum light ash rather than sweeping it, and wash hard surfaces gently. Heavy ash, soot in ducts or smoke odor that won't clear calls for professional cleaning.
- How to Prevent Frozen Pipes in Southern ArizonaOn nights forecast below about 25°F, disconnect hoses, cover hose bibs, wrap exposed and exterior-wall pipes, open cabinet doors on outside walls, let a faucet drip, and keep the heat on. Homes at higher elevations such as Oracle and rural lots with well houses are most at risk.
- Water Damage Risks in Pinal County HomesPinal County water damage most often comes from aging fixtures in 2000s-era subdivision homes, leaks under manufactured homes, monsoon and haboob roof damage, rural well and septic problems, and leaks that run unnoticed in seasonally vacant homes. Around Eloy, land subsidence adds stress on slabs and buried lines.
Ready for help? Monsoon roof leak damage
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