Water Damage: What To Do in the First 24 Hours
Step-by-step Atlanta homeowner guide to the first 24 hours after a burst pipe or flood: stop the source, document for insurance, start drying.
Full Transcript
If you're dealing with water damage, the first 24 hours determine whether you face a quick dry-out or a much bigger repair. Step one: shut off the water at the main valve. Step two: kill power to wet rooms at the breaker. Step three: photograph and video everything before you move a single item — your insurance adjuster will need this. Step four: call a licensed restoration company. Estate Solutions provides 24/7 emergency response across Metro Atlanta. Step five: extract standing water and start commercial-grade air movers and dehumidifiers within 24 hours to limit secondary damage.
Step by Step: The First 24 Hours
The transcript above lists five steps. This written guide explains each one in the same order. It is a companion to the recording, not part of it, and it uses only what the transcript and our Water Damage Restoration page already say.
- Shut off the water at the main valve. Stopping the source comes first. Until the water stops, every other step is being undone as you work. Shut the main valve before you do anything else, even if the leak looks small.
- Cut power to the wet rooms at the breaker. Turn off the breakers that serve the wet rooms before anyone walks in or starts moving things. Making the space electrically safe comes before documentation and before cleanup.
- Photograph and video everything before you move a single item. Your insurance adjuster will need a record of the damage as you found it. Take wide shots of each room first, then close-ups of wet walls, wet flooring, and damaged belongings. Keep damaged items until they have been photographed, because they are part of that record.
- Call a licensed restoration company. Estate Solutions provides 24/7 emergency response across Metro Atlanta, including nights, weekends, and holidays. Call (404) 913-3030. Estate Solutions is a Georgia-licensed contractor, license #RBQA006428.
- Extract standing water and start drying within 24 hours. Standing water is extracted first. Then commercial-grade air movers and dehumidifiers go in within 24 hours to limit secondary damage. The structure is dried to target moisture readings, and the drying is monitored daily with moisture meters.
Why the order matters
Each step protects the next one. Stopping the water and cutting the power make the house safe to work in. The photos and video come before anything is moved, so the record shows the damage as it was. Extraction and drying start after that, as early in the first day as possible.
After the first day
Once the water is out, damaged materials are removed and the structure keeps drying until it reaches its target moisture readings. The rebuild follows: drywall, flooring, cabinetry, and paint. Estate Solutions handles emergency extraction, structural drying, removal of damaged materials, and complete reconstruction under one contract, so you don't need to find a separate rebuild contractor after the drying is finished.
How long it takes
Timelines depend on scope; you'll get a written schedule with your estimate.
Insurance coverage
Most policies cover sudden, accidental water damage, but coverage depends on your specific policy and the cause of loss. Final coverage decisions are made by your carrier, not by us. We document everything thoroughly and can work directly with your insurance company.
What your adjuster sees
Insurance-ready documentation means moisture readings, drying logs, and a scope of the damage that an adjuster can review. That record starts with the photos and video you take in step three, before anything is moved.
Where we work
We serve Metro Atlanta, including Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Douglas, Gwinnett, and Cherokee counties, plus Clayton, Fayette, Henry, Paulding, and Rockdale counties. Our office is at 5493 Westmoreland Plaza, C-100, Douglasville, GA 30134. Call to confirm coverage for your address.
The five steps at a glance
One: shut off the water at the main valve. Two: cut power to the wet rooms at the breaker. Three: photograph and video everything before you move a single item. Four: call a licensed restoration company. Five: extract standing water and start commercial-grade air movers and dehumidifiers within 24 hours.
Flooded basements
A flooded basement follows the same five steps. Our flooded basement cleanup Atlanta page covers that path in detail, from extraction and moisture mapping through structural drying and the rebuild documentation.
Billing
Estate Solutions can bill your insurance company directly, and the drying logs and moisture readings become part of the file your adjuster reviews.
Getting started
Call (404) 913-3030 at any hour. The Water Damage Restoration page linked below covers the full process, from extraction and structural drying through the rebuild, and answers the insurance questions above in more detail.
Need help right now?
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