A floor drain pushes sewage into an East Dearborn basement during a cloudburst
What homeowners notice
Rain has been hammering a pre-war brick house on a low east-side street for an hour when the basement floor drain starts to gurgle, then pushes up brown water that creeps toward the furnace and a shelf of stored boxes. Nobody can reach the panel without stepping in it.
What we do
The crew treats it as Category 3 from the first minute: protective gear, the room closed off, the water extracted and porous pieces such as carpet, pad and the lower drywall removed. Framing and slab are cleaned and disinfected, then dried with air movers and dehumidifiers, and the technician suggests a plumber check the line and any backwater valve.
What to expect
Readings come down to the dry goal after several days, the photos and moisture logs are available for the homeowner's insurer, and rebuild work is quoted only once the basement tests dry.
A day of cleanup, then several days of drying typical visit
A sump pit overflows in a Dearborn Heights basement while the power is out
What homeowners notice
A thunderstorm has knocked the power out and the electric sump pump has stopped with it. By morning the pit has filled and spilled across the floor of a bungalow basement, soaking a carpeted family room and the bottom of the paneled walls.
What we do
The crew extracts the standing water in stages, pulls the soaked pad, lifts the paneling base where readings show moisture in the framing and sets air movers and a dehumidifier. The technician explains that the pump, a battery backup and the discharge line are a plumber's job, and suggests asking one to look before the next storm.
What to expect
Moisture readings settle after several days, the photos and logs go to the homeowner's insurer on request, and carpet and wall repairs are quoted once the room is dry.
Half a day of extraction, then drying typical visit
A supply line splits in an unheated crawl space in Westland during a January cold snap
What homeowners notice
After nights well below freezing, a brick ranch with a crawl space under a rear addition develops a damp floor in the back bedroom. The supply line in the unheated crawl space froze, split and began to leak as it thawed, wetting the subfloor and the insulation beneath it.
What we do
With the main closed, the crew extracts what it can reach, maps the wet floor with meters and a thermal camera, removes soaked insulation and sets air movers and a dehumidifier to dry the subfloor from above and below. A plumber repairs the split line on a separate visit.
What to expect
Readings reach the dry goal after a few days, photos and logs are available for the homeowner's insurer, and any flooring repair is quoted afterward.
A few hours of extraction, then several days of drying typical visit
An ice dam sends meltwater through a Ferndale bedroom ceiling in February
What homeowners notice
A week of snow and a sunny, freezing afternoon leave a ridge of ice along the eave of a 1920s-era house. By evening a brown stain spreads across the upstairs bedroom ceiling and water drips onto the carpet.
What we do
The crew protects the floor, relieves the sagging ceiling where it is safe, extracts the water and opens the wet drywall so insulation and framing above can dry. Air movers and a dehumidifier run while readings are logged, and a roofer, not the crew, addresses the roof and ventilation.
What to expect
The ceiling cavity reaches its dry goal before any mold appears, the documentation is ready for the homeowner's insurer, and drywall and paint are quoted afterward.
A few hours on site, then drying over several days typical visit
A water heater lets go beside a finished basement in Allen Park
What homeowners notice
A homeowner comes down to find the tank in the utility closet has split and a steady flow has run under the door into a carpeted rec room, soaking the carpet, pad and the base of a drywall wall.
What we do
The cold-water valve is closed, then the crew extracts the water, removes the soaked pad, makes a flood cut where the drywall reads wet and sets drying equipment. Replacing the water heater is left to a plumber.
What to expect
The basement is dry to the readings within several days, photos and logs are available for the insurer, and carpet and drywall replacement are quoted once everything tests dry.
A few hours of extraction, then several days of drying typical visit
A drain that feeds Ecorse Creek overtops its banks and reaches a Taylor lower level
What homeowners notice
After several days of rain on saturated ground, one of the drains that feed Ecorse Creek spills over and a few inches of muddy water cross a yard and enter the lower level of a house, leaving silt on the floor and soaking the bottom of the walls.
What we do
Because the water crossed the ground, the crew handles it as Category 3: it extracts the water, removes carpet, pad and low drywall that cannot be cleaned, shovels out silt by hand and disinfects what stays. Wall cavities are opened to dry and dehumidifiers run until readings settle.
What to expect
The structure reaches its dry goal, the technician reminds the owner that flood damage is a separate insurance question from a homeowners policy, and repairs are quoted after drying.
Two days of cleanup, then drying 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.
