What To Do When You Find Water Damage
When you find water damage: stop the water at the source, shut off electricity to wet areas, photograph everything, move what you can to dry ground, and call a 24/7 restoration company like Keystone Restoration Group at (801) 948-2501 — mold can start growing within 24-48 hours.
Water damage is a race: the first hour decides whether you're facing a drying job or a demolition. Work through this checklist in order — and remember that nothing on it matters as much as getting professional drying started fast.
1Stop the water — find your shutoff
- Burst pipe or unknown source: close the main water shutoff. In most Utah homes it's in the basement utility room near the water heater, or at the meter box near the street.
- Appliance failure (washer, dishwasher, fridge): close the small valve behind the appliance, or the main if you can't reach it.
- Water heater: close the cold-water valve on top of the tank.
- Toilet or sink: close the oval valve on the supply line under the fixture.
- Sewage backing up: don't run ANY water — every drain in the house feeds the problem.
2Make it safe
- If water is near outlets, cords, or appliances, shut off power to those rooms at the breaker panel BEFORE stepping in.
- Never enter standing water in a basement until you're certain the power to that level is off.
- Stay out of sewage and outdoor floodwater entirely — it's contaminated and genuinely hazardous.
- Watch for sagging ceilings below the leak; don't stand under a bulge.
3Document before you touch
- Photograph and video everything: the source, the standing water, each affected room, damaged belongings.
- Capture serial numbers / model plates of failed appliances — adjusters ask.
- Don't throw anything away yet, even ruined items; they're evidence for your claim.
4Protect what you can (without risking yourself)
- Move electronics, documents, photos, and furniture to dry areas.
- Put aluminum foil or plastic under furniture legs you can't move — it stops stain transfer into wet carpet.
- Lift curtains and bedskirts away from wet floors.
- Don't run a household vacuum on water, and don't crank the furnace fan — it spreads humidity through the house.
5Call for professional drying — fast
- Call Keystone Restoration Group at (801) 948-2501 — answered 24/7, on-site within 45 minutes across the Wasatch Front.
- Mold can begin growing in 24-48 hours; carpet pad and drywall are usually saveable only if drying starts quickly.
- Then call your insurance agent or carrier to open a claim. We work directly with them from there — documentation, estimates, and adjuster communication.
The one thing NOT to do: wait until morning.
Water spreads and soaks all night. Calling at 11 p.m. instead of 7 a.m. routinely saves homeowners thousands of dollars in demolition and rebuild.
Straight Answers
First-Hour Questions, Answered
Should I call my insurance company or a restoration company first?
Stop the water first, then call a restoration company — your policy requires you to mitigate damage promptly, and carriers expect emergency drying to begin before an adjuster ever visits. Keystone documents everything from the first hour, then we help you open the claim and work with your carrier directly.
Can I dry it out myself with fans?
Household fans dry surfaces, not structures. Water inside walls, under flooring, and in carpet pad needs commercial dehumidification and verified moisture readings — without them, you risk mold weeks later inside cavities that felt 'dry.' For anything beyond a small clean-water spill on hard flooring, professional drying pays for itself.
How fast does mold start after water damage?
Mold can begin growing within 24 to 48 hours of a water loss, especially in warm interior spaces with poor airflow — exactly the conditions inside a wet wall cavity. That window is why immediate professional drying matters more than anything else you do.
Found Water? The Checklist Starts With a Call.
We'll walk you through the shutoffs over the phone while a crew rolls to your address — 24 hours a day.
(801) 948-2501Answered 24/7 by a real person — never a machine