1. Check for electrical danger
If water is near outlets, power strips, a space heater or the breaker panel, stay out of it. When the panel is in a dry spot, switch off the breakers for the wet rooms. If the panel itself is wet, leave it alone and say so when you call.
Look up, too. A ceiling that sags or bulges is holding water. Keep people out from under it.
2. Stop the water
- Pipe, supply line or appliance: close the main water valve. In Forsyth County homes it is usually in the garage or basement where the line enters the house, or in the meter box near the street.
- Water heater: close the cold water valve on top of the tank and turn off the power or gas.
- Toilet: close the valve on the wall behind it.
- Roof leak: put buckets under the drips and move furniture out of the way.
- Sewage or septic: stop all water use in the house so nothing else goes down the drains.
3. Call for help now
Call a water damage company before you start cleaning. A crew can be on the way while you work through the rest of this list. Call us and we will connect you with a local company that serves Cumming and Forsyth County.
4. Photograph everything
Before you move anything, take wide photos of each wet room and close-ups of damaged floors, walls, ceilings and belongings. Record a short video walking through the house. Photograph the source of the leak, such as the split hose or the rusted water heater, if you can see it. Your insurance adjuster will ask for these.
5. Protect what you can
- Move rugs, electronics, paperwork and photos to a dry room or upstairs.
- Put foil or plastic under furniture legs so stain and rust do not transfer into wet carpet.
- Pull up wet area rugs and hang them somewhere dry.
- Open windows if the outside air is drier than the inside. In a humid Georgia summer it usually is not, so keep the air conditioning running instead.
6. Call your insurance company
Report the damage and get a claim number. Ask whether they want to send an adjuster before work starts beyond emergency water removal. Most insurers expect you to take reasonable steps to prevent more damage, and getting the water out quickly is one of them.
What not to do
- Do not use a household vacuum on water.
- Do not stand under a sagging wet ceiling or touch a light fixture in a wet ceiling.
- Do not start tearing out drywall or flooring before you have photos.
- Do not wait to see whether it dries on its own. In Cumming's humidity, mold can start on wet drywall and carpet pad in a day or two.
Related services in Cumming
- Emergency water removal: Standing water pumped out, carpet and pad extracted, wet drywall opened up and drying started the same day.
- Burst pipes and supply line leaks: Broken pipes, split washer hoses, toilet and ice maker lines: water removed, walls opened and dried.
- Water heater and slab leaks: Leaks from failed water heaters and pipes under the slab traced, removed and dried before floors and cabinets swell.