River water across a yard and into a garage in Santee
What homeowners notice
After a river rise, the homeowner finds a film of silt across the garage floor and a brown tide line on the lower wall. The water came over the yard from the river side, and a stored carton on the floor has soaked through at the bottom.
What we do
The crew confirms the source, sets the water's category as river water and removes the silt by hand before the pumps run. The wall behind the garage door is read with a moisture meter, the bottom plate is checked, and the stored carton and the drywall at the base are removed where the readings stay high. Air movers and a dehumidifier are set for the garage and the adjoining wall.
What to expect
The scope lists each removal with its reading and photograph, the owner approves it before the equipment runs, and the wall is dried over several return visits until the readings reach the dry standard.
Storm water through a ground-floor door during a heavy rain
What homeowners notice
During a heavy storm, water comes under a side door and spreads across a ground-floor room. The power is still on, and an outlet at the far end of the room is close to the water's edge.
What we do
The first step is the outlet: the crew asks the household to leave the power off at the breaker only from a dry position and to keep clear of the water. Once the outlet is safe, standing water is pumped out, the carpet pad is lifted where it held water, and the wall behind the door is read with meters. The threshold and the lower frame are checked for the path the water took.
What to expect
The room is dried to its readings over the return visits, the outlet is checked by an electrician before use, and the owner gets a dated record of each reading and each removal.
A winter storm fills a garage and a utility closet
What homeowners notice
A winter storm leaves standing water in a garage and a utility closet. The water has reached the bottom of the closet door, and a water heater sits in the corner.
What we do
The crew keeps clear of the heater's electrical connections, extracts the standing water and reads the floor and the lower walls. The closet door is removed for access, the bottom plate is dried, and a plumber is asked to check the water heater's drain line, since the storm water reached the closet from the garage.
What to expect
The garage floor and the closet dry to standard over several visits, the plumber's check is recorded in the scope, and the owner has the readings and photographs for the claim.
A washing machine overflows in a laundry closet and sends water under the adjoining hallway carpet. The carpet looks dry on top, but the edges feel cool and the room has a damp smell.
What we do
The crew extracts the carpet, lifts an edge to read the pad and the subfloor, and finds the pad wet through in the hallway. The pad is removed, the subfloor is dried with a floor mat and air movers, and the carpet is extracted and dried in place for reinstallation once the subfloor reads dry.
What to expect
The carpet is refitted over a dry subfloor, the readings and the scope are handed over in writing, and the owner is told which trade should check the washer's drain line.
A water heater drips into a closet with a wood floor
What homeowners notice
A homeowner notices a wet ring around the base of the water heater and a soft patch in the wood floor of the closet. The drain pan is full, and a faint musty smell is coming from the bottom of the door.
What we do
The crew asks the household to close the cold supply to the heater, confirms the gas or power is off at the heater's controls, and removes the standing water. The subfloor under the heater is read, and the wood floor is lifted in the closet where it cannot be dried in place. A plumber is called to replace the failed tank fitting.
What to expect
The closet floor is replaced after the subfloor reads dry, the plumber's invoice and the crew's scope are kept together, and the adjoining hallway is checked and cleared.
A dishwasher leaks under a kitchen counter for weeks
What homeowners notice
The kitchen floor in front of the dishwasher has a soft edge, and the cabinet base next to it is swollen and pulling away from the wall. The leak has been slow enough that nobody saw standing water.
What we do
The crew shuts the supply, removes the kickplate, reads the cabinet base and the subfloor, and dries the space under the counter. The cabinet base is marked for replacement because it has swelled and separated, and the subfloor is dried in place where it reads dry. The dishwasher's supply connection is referred to an appliance technician.
What to expect
The cabinet is replaced by its trade, the floor dries to standard, and the scope records each reading and each decision so the owner can share it with the insurer and the cabinet installer.
A hallway wall has a slowly growing damp patch and a bubbling paint film at the base. The water meter keeps turning when every fixture in the house is closed.
What we do
The crew confirms the meter reading, scans the wall with a moisture meter and thermal camera, and opens a small inspection hole where the readings are highest. A supply line joint behind the wall is found to be weeping. The plumber is called to repair it, and the crew dries the wall cavity only after the line is stopped.
What to expect
The opening is patched once the cavity reads dry, the repair and the readings are recorded in one scope, and the meter is read again on a later visit to confirm the leak has stopped.
Detection about 3 hours, drying over later visits typical visit
A bathroom sink drain leaked into the floor cavity above a crawl space. The room above is dry on top, but a musty smell comes up through the floor register, and the crawl space access door sticks in damp weather.
What we do
The crew checks the air and the access before entering, reads the joists and the insulation through the access, and finds the wet area directly under the drain. The insulation that held water is removed, the joists are dried with air movers through the access, and the drain line is referred to a plumber.
What to expect
The joists read dry over several visits, the floor above is checked, and the scope with its readings and access notes is handed over so the plumber and any later trade can see the conditions.
First visit about 4 hours typical visit
Have the same problem?
Call and tell us what you see. We will tell you what it likely is and what it usually costs before anyone drives out.
