Water damage restoration for central Las Vegas homes
Water damage restoration is the full job from wet floor to finished room, and in a city that gets only 3.99 inches of rain a year most of it starts inside the house.
What the job covers
Restoration is four jobs in a row. First the standing water comes out. Then the wet materials get measured, so we know what can dry in place and what has to be cut out. Then the drying runs, with air movers and dehumidifiers sized to the rooms. Last, anything that was removed goes back in, from drywall and baseboard to flooring.
Most restoration pages stop at a list like that. The part that matters in Las Vegas is the order and the speed. EPA says to dry water damaged areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, so the first two steps have to happen on day one.
Where the water usually comes from here
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals put the airport at 3.99 inches of rain a year, with only 10.2 days that reach a tenth of an inch. That makes rain the rare cause. The common ones are supply lines, water heaters, AC condensate lines, toilets and slab pipes. When rain does cause damage, it tends to come fast, during the July and August storms the National Weather Service describes sweeping down normally dry washes.
Very hard water is part of the local picture. LVVWD rates its water at about 16 grains per gallon, very hard, from the calcium and magnesium in Colorado River water. Scale builds in water heaters and fixtures over years.
What you get when you call
A person answers (702) 602-9420, by call or text. We ask five things. Where the water came from, how long it ran, which rooms and floors are wet, whether it came from outside, and whether you have already called your insurer. Then a crew comes with extraction gear and meters, and every reading is written down with the date and the room, so the file your adjuster sees matches what we found.
The first hour
| Clock | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0 min | Get people out of the water | Do not walk or drive through moving water. Ready.gov says six inches of moving water can knock you down and one foot can sweep a car away. |
| 2 min | Stop the source if you safely can | For a pipe, close the main shutoff. LVVWD says it is usually in the front yard near the sewer riser cap, in the garage or at the home's manifold. |
| 5 min | Keep away from wet power | Ready.gov says not to touch electrical equipment that is wet or while you stand in water. Leave the breaker panel alone if the floor around it is wet. |
| 10 min | Call or text (702) 602-9420 | Tell us where the water came from, which rooms are wet and whether it came in from outside. That decides the crew and the gear. |
| 15 min | Photograph everything before it moves | Wide shots of each room, close shots of the water line on walls, and the source. Your insurer will ask for these. |
| 30 min | Lift and separate | Move rugs, boxes and furniture off wet floors. Put foil or wood blocks under furniture legs that must stay. |
| 45 min | Treat flood water as dirty | Floodwater can be contaminated, per Ready.gov. Wear gloves and boots. Keep children and pets out. |
| 60 min | Start the 48 hour clock | EPA says to dry water damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. Extraction and drying should start inside that window. |
Local numbers behind this page
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rain, airport station | 3.99 in | NOAA NCEI 1991 to 2020 annual normals |
| Days with 0.10 in of rain or more | 10.2 | NOAA NCEI 1991 to 2020 annual normals |
| LVVWD water hardness | about 16 gpg | Las Vegas Valley Water District |
| EPA drying window | 24 to 48 hr | U.S. EPA |
| Days at 100F or above | 79 | NOAA NCEI 1991 to 2020 annual normals |