The first 48 hours after water damage

Hour one

1. Shut it off. Use the valve under the sink or toilet if the leak is there. Otherwise use the main, often in the crawl space or garage where the line comes in, or at the meter box by the street. For a leaking water heater, close the cold supply valve on top and switch off its breaker or gas.
2. Treat electricity as the bigger danger. Keep out of standing water near outlets, cords or a power strip. Only flip breakers for the wet rooms if the panel is somewhere you can stand on a dry floor.
3. Floodwater is different. If the Nooksack or a creek is in the house, don't go in until officials clear it, and assume the water is contaminated.
4. Take the pictures now. Wide shots of each wet room and a close-up of the source, before anything gets moved.

Day one

• Report the loss to your insurer and write down the claim number and the name of whoever you talked to.
• Get furniture and area rugs off the wet floor. Aluminum foil or wood blocks under the legs of anything too heavy to move keep stain from wicking into the carpet.
• Remove standing water: towels and a shop vac for a small spill, a restoration crew for anything bigger.
• Keep windows shut and the heat on, and run a dehumidifier if you have one. On a gray, drizzly Bellingham day, open windows let damp air in faster than it leaves.
• Hold on to ruined materials until the adjuster sees them, or until you have clear photos.

Day two

• Pad that is still squishy and drywall that is soft or bowed usually has to come out, and drying goes faster once it does.
• Ask the crew to take readings inside wall cavities and under flooring. The surface can feel dry while the material underneath is still wet.
• Go downstairs. A wet first floor often means a wet crawl space or basement ceiling.
• Read every form before signing it, and slow down on any page that mentions your insurance.

If a pipe froze

Frozen lines tend to leak when they warm up, so the morning after a cold snap is when to check. If you think a pipe is frozen, close the main right away and open a faucet so the line can drain as it thaws. Never use a torch or open flame on it. Frozen pipes in Bellingham.

If you can't stay

No heat, no running water, a collapsed ceiling or sewage in the living space are all reasons to ask your insurer about additional living expense coverage. Keep every receipt from the time you are out. If you rent, notify the landlord in writing the same day. Repairs and mold in a Washington rental.