Find Emergency Water Damage Restoration in Charlotte NC

Water on the floor right now?

Request emergency water damage help any time. Our form is open 24/7.

You don't have to know what broke or what this kind of work is called. Right now you need two things: the water stopped and your request sent. You can usually do both yourself in the next few minutes, even at 2 a.m.

Here's our part. We're a referral service for water damage restoration in Charlotte NC, so we don't do the drying or repairs. Tell us what happened and we work to pass it to one independent local company. If a company takes your request, it contacts you. Response times depend on that company's availability, so don't hold off on the steps below.

What to do about water damage in the next hour

1. Stop the water. Don't wait to stop the water. If it's safe to reach, shut off your main water valve, then request help. Look near the water heater, in the crawl space only if dry, or in the box at the meter by the street. A lever usually takes a quarter turn. A round handle turns clockwise until it stops. Don't force it. The valve at the street can need a special key, so try the one inside first. If you know which fixture is leaking, its own valve may be quicker, and the next section shows where it is.
2. Stay clear of power. If water is near outlets, cords or your breaker panel, stay out of the area. If anyone is in danger, call 911. If you smell gas, see sparks or hear crackling, leave the house and call 911 from outside.
3. Take pictures before you tidy up. Go only where it's safe, and stay out of anything that might be sewage. Walk each wet room with your phone: video first, then close-ups of the floor, the walls and the spot where the water started. These are for your own records. Then, if it's safe, carry rugs, papers and electronics somewhere dry.

Renting, or in a condo? Tell your landlord or building manager right away, and ask where the main shutoff is. If the leak is coming from the unit above, you may not be able to stop it yourself, so reach them first.

Where the water usually comes from, and where its shutoff is

Find your leak below. Each one says what it looks like, what to shut off and what to have ready. They're in no special order. If you can't find the valve in a minute or two, or water is near an outlet or cord, go back to the main.

• Washing machine hose. Water spreading from behind or under the washer, often fast. Turn both valves behind the machine, hot and cold. Have ready: washer hose, and which floor the laundry is on.
• Fridge ice-maker line. A slow puddle under the fridge, or flooring that's soft or cupping in front of it. Follow the thin line to its valve, often behind the fridge or under the kitchen sink. Have ready: ice-maker line, and how long the floor may have been wet.
• Toilet supply. Water running down the tank or dripping from the thin hose feeding it. Turn the oval-handle valve on the wall behind the toilet clockwise. Have ready: toilet, and whether it was clean tank water or an overflow from the bowl.
• Dishwasher. Water seeping out from under the front panel, or a wet cabinet floor next to it. Close the valve under the kitchen sink that feeds it, and don't run it again. Have ready: dishwasher, and whether the cabinets or the floor underneath got wet.
• Water heater. A pool around the base of the tank, or a drip from a fitting up top. If you can reach it without standing in water, close the cold inlet valve on top of the tank. Have ready: water heater, which room it's in, and whether the tank itself looks like it's leaking.
• AC condensate line. A wet ceiling under an attic unit, or water around the indoor unit, usually in warm weather when the system is running. There's no valve here. Shut the system off at the thermostat. Have ready: AC drain, and whether any ceiling is wet or sagging.
• Frozen pipe after a hard freeze. Often nothing shows until the pipe thaws, then water comes through a wall or ceiling, or runs under the house. Shut off the main, since there's rarely a valve just for that pipe. Have ready: burst pipe, where it shows, and about how long it ran. Burst pipe cleanup often means finding out how far the water traveled, so that last part helps.
• Heavy rain in a crawl space. Standing water or a damp smell after a storm, with no plumbing to blame. There's nothing to shut off. Don't crawl in: look from the hatch, because wiring can run through that space. Have ready: rain, crawl space, and roughly how deep it looks. If it came from outside, say so. Companies often call this flood cleanup.

What water damage restoration includes: mitigation now, repairs later

Restoration work comes in two halves, and they don't run on the same clock. That's worth knowing when you're tired and everything feels like it has to be decided tonight.

The urgent half is water mitigation. You'll also see it called water extraction or emergency water removal. Around Charlotte, here's what a restoration company typically does:

• Removes standing water with pumps and extractors.
• Opens up or pulls out wet materials that can't be dried in place, like carpet pad or the bottom of a wall.
• Dries what's left with dehumidifiers and air movers.
• Rechecks moisture readings until the materials read dry.

The half that can wait is the rebuild: drywall, floors, paint and trim. It comes after the readings show dry, so there's usually time to get written estimates and compare them side by side. You don't have to choose who rebuilds your kitchen on the night the pipe burst.

Clean water, gray water, sewage

Not all water is the same, and that changes how the work gets done. Restoration companies often use terms from the IICRC S500 standard: Category 1 (clean water, like a supply line), Category 2 (gray water, like a washer overflow), Category 3 (black water, like a sewage backup or floodwater). Ask the company which category it sees and why. Until you know, keep kids and pets away from anything that might be sewage.

Stay safe in a wet house

A wet house can hurt you in ways you can't see from the doorway. Two lines from the agencies that deal with this:

If a ceiling is sagging, stay out from under it. If water came from outside, that county line covers your yard and the walk out to the meter too.

What it costs

Prices vary a lot from job to job, and our water damage cost guide walks through published ranges and what moves them.

How to choose a water damage company: what to ask

You may be tired and in a hurry, and you can still ask these. A good answer is one you can get in writing.

1. Can I get a written estimate before any work starts? It should list the work, the materials and the price.
2. Do you follow the IICRC S500 standard on this job? It's the industry standard for water damage work.
3. How will you document moisture readings? Ask what reading counts as dry and whether you'll get the numbers in writing.
4. Who does the rebuild? It might be the same company, or someone else, and it can be a separate estimate.
5. What happens if you find hidden damage? Extra work should be priced and approved by you before it's done.

You decide whether to hire anyone.

Coverage depends on your policy. For questions about your claim, contact your insurance company or agent. We do not handle, advise on, or negotiate insurance claims.

What to have ready

A few plain details help if a company calls: what happened, where the water came from, whether it's stopped, and when it started. You don't need photos, measurements or the right words. "Pipe burst under the kitchen, water's off, started an hour ago" is plenty.

The form takes about a minute and asks what happened, your ZIP, how soon you need help, your name and your phone number. It's the quickest way to get your details down, and it's open 24/7. We work to pass your request to one independent local restoration company. Response times depend on that company's availability. The referral costs you nothing.

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Common questions