Plain answers about water damage in Dallas
Most questions land in four places: what to do in the first five minutes, how long a slab house takes to dry, what it costs, and what insurance does. Short version: close the meter valve, stay clear of wet outlets, call, and agree the emergency-stage price before work. Drying often runs three to five days.
- Phones answered 24/7
- Slab leaks, burst pipes, attic AC leaks
- Emergency price approved before work
- Moisture readings logged for your insurer
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The first five minutes
Where is the main water shut-off on a Dallas house?
Usually in a concrete meter box set in the ground near the street or the sidewalk, which is why a meter key is worth keeping in the garage. Many houses also have a second valve where the supply enters the building or the garage wall. Open the lid once in good weather, make sure the valve turns, and show someone else in the house where it is.
Is it safe to walk into a room with standing water?
Not while the water touches outlets, a power strip, a furnace or a powered appliance. Switch the circuit off at the panel only if you can get there without stepping in water. If you cannot, stay out and say so on the call. Water that came up out of a drain needs boots and gloves at the very least.
Should I start pulling up wet carpet or cutting drywall myself?
Better not. Wet carpet tears at the seams, it is far heavier than it looks, and it can often be dried in place once the pad beneath it is lifted. Early demolition also hides the path the water took, which is what the meter readings are for. Move the furniture, take photographs and leave the rest.
Drying a slab house
How many days does drying actually take?
Often three to five days for a room, and longer for hardwood, concrete or plaster, which the IICRC S500 standard calls Class 4 specialty drying. A slab gives moisture back slowly, so the concrete can still read wet after the drywall is fine. Readings are taken at each visit and equipment leaves when the materials reach their dry goal.
With hardly any basements here, where does the water go?
Down onto the slab and then up. Water spreads flat across tile, wood or carpet, soaks the pad, then wicks into the bottom of the drywall, the baseboard and the cabinet toe-kicks, where it is invisible from the room. In older pier-and-beam houses it drops through to the joists and subfloor instead and cups hardwood from underneath.
What is a flood cut, and will my house need one?
It is the removal of drywall from the floor up, usually two to four feet, so air and dehumidifiers can reach the wall cavity, the studs and the bottom plate. Whether a wall needs one depends on what the meter reads and on the water category. Sewage and floodwater almost always call for it; clean water on a wall that reads dry inside does not.
Prices, claims and deductibles
Is there a charge just to come and look?
The emergency inspection and moisture assessment is estimated at free to $200 and is often credited when the work goes ahead. A visit at night, at the weekend or on a holiday can add an estimated $100 to $300. Both are said before anything starts, and the full list sits on the pricing page.
Will my policy treat a slab leak like a burst pipe?
Not always, and the difference matters here. Texas policies vary on leaks under the slab, on the cost of getting to the pipe and on resulting foundation movement, so ask your agent specifically how yours handles it and read the slab leak guide before you call. Gradual seepage is commonly excluded even where a sudden break is covered.
Can anyone cover my deductible for me?
No, and you should be wary of an offer to try. Texas Insurance Code Chapter 707 makes it unlawful for a contractor to waive, rebate, absorb or offset an insurance deductible, or to help a policyholder avoid paying it. Expect to pay your deductible, and expect any contract tied to a settlement to say so in writing.
Freezes, hail and mold rules
What actually protects pipes before a North Texas freeze?
Heat left on while you travel, insulation on attic and exterior-wall runs, cabinet doors open under sinks on outside walls, garden hoses unhooked from spigots and a meter key you can find in the dark. February 2021 took DFW to minus 2 degrees after roughly 295 hours below freezing, and most of the damage appeared on the thaw. The freeze guide has the rest.
Why did a ceiling stain appear weeks after the hailstorm?
Hail bruises and cracks shingles without opening an obvious hole, so the mat fails quietly and the next ordinary rain finds the gap. The stain then shows up on a textured ceiling long after the storm the claim was filed for. Photograph it, check the wind and hail deductible on your declarations page, and see the hail leak guide.
How does Texas regulate mold work?
Through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, under Occupations Code Chapter 1958. A license is required once the affected area reaches 25 contiguous square feet, the assessor and the remediator must be different companies, the assessor writes the protocol, and a Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation follows within ten days of the stop date. The EPA's separate rule of thumb, that under about 10 square feet is usually a homeowner job, is a different number.
Question not answered here?
Call and ask. A technician will give you a straight answer, even if the answer is that you do not need us.