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First 15 minutes
Water Emergency in Your Mesquite Home? What to Do in the First 15 Minutes
Stop the water, make the house safe, take photos and call. That’s the order that protects your house, your safety and your insurance claim. Plus the Mesquite phone numbers worth saving before you need them.
Short answer
In a water emergency, first stop the source by closing the main shutoff valve, or the fixture’s supply valve if the water came from a toilet, washer or sink. Then make the house safe: stay out of water if the power’s on, and switch off breakers only if the panel is dry. Photograph everything, move valuables off wet floors, and call. For water or sewer emergencies in the street or at the meter, call the City of Mesquite’s 24-hour line at 972-288-7711.
5 minutes
To stop the source
911
If anyone is hurt or you smell gas
972-288-7711
City of Mesquite 24-hour water and sewer line
24 to 48 hours
When mold can start on wet materials
How do I stop the water in the first five minutes?
- Close the main shutoff valve. Look where the water line enters the house. It’s often in the garage, a utility closet or along an exterior wall. A lever handle turns a quarter turn until it sits across the pipe. A round wheel handle turns clockwise until it stops.
- Or close the fixture valve. If the water came from a toilet, sink, washer or dishwasher, close the small supply valve at the fixture. The oval handle behind a toilet turns clockwise.
- Can’t find it, or it won’t turn? Call the City of Mesquite’s 24-hour water and sewer line at 972-288-7711 and ask for an emergency shut-off. If the leak is at the meter or out in the street, that’s the city’s side of things.
- Anyone hurt, or a smell of gas? Leave the house and call 911.
How do I make the house safe in the next five minutes?
- Electricity and water don’t mix. Don’t stand in water near outlets, cords or appliances. If you’d have to stand in water to reach the breaker panel, don’t. Call an electrician or your electric utility.
- Switch off breakers for wet areas only if the panel is dry and you can reach it safely.
- Watch the ceiling. If it’s sagging, bulging or dripping hard, stay out from under it.
- Sewage or floodwater? Treat it as contaminated and keep children and pets out. See sewage backup cleanup and flood water removal.
What should I do in the first 15 minutes to protect my stuff and my claim?
- Photograph and film everything first, with wide shots and close-ups, before you move or throw out anything. The Texas Department of Insurance advises documenting damage before repairs.
- Lift valuables off wet floors. Rugs, electronics, papers, photos and wooden furniture.
- Open cabinet doors under wet sinks so air can reach the cabinet bases.
- Write down the time you found the water and what you did, in your phone.
- Call us. Tell us what you saw and we’ll tell you what to expect.
What should I not do?
- Don’t use a household vacuum on water. It’s an electrical hazard and it isn’t built for it.
- Don’t use electronics or appliances in wet rooms, and don’t plug anything in.
- Don’t walk on a sagging ceiling’s footprint or stand under a bulge.
- Don’t run fans or the HVAC if sewage is involved. They can spread contamination.
- Don’t throw anything away before it’s been photographed.
- Don’t make permanent repairs before your insurance company has seen the damage.
- Don’t sign a contract the same day under pressure, especially after a freeze or storm.
Who do I call in Mesquite for what?
| Situation | Who to call |
|---|---|
| Anyone hurt, a smell of gas, or a fire | 911 |
| Water or sewer emergency, a leak at the meter or in the street, an emergency shut-off (24 hours) | City of Mesquite, 972-288-7711 |
| A leak on the city side of your meter | City of Mesquite Meter Services, 972-216-6948 |
| Flooding from streets or drainage | City of Mesquite Storm Water Specialist, 972-329-8537, or the myMesquite app |
| Water inside your house | LeakRush, (972) 555-0147 |
| A broken pipe or fixture | A licensed plumber |
| Coverage and claims | Your insurance agent or insurer |
What should I tell you when I call?
- Where the water came from, if you know
- Which rooms it reached, and what the floors are made of: carpet, tile, vinyl plank, laminate or hardwood
- How long it’s been there
- Whether it came through a ceiling or up from a drain
- Whether you rent or own
- Any electrical concerns, like wet outlets or a flooded panel
- A few photos, by text
What happens when you show up?
We confirm the water is off, check for electrical hazards, identify the water category, map the moisture and start extraction. It’s the same process behind every emergency water extraction in Mesquite job, and it’s laid out in how water extraction works.
What should I do in the first 24 hours?
- Report the loss to your insurance company and give them your photos.
- If you rent, notify your landlord in writing.
- Keep damaged items until your adjuster has seen them, if you can.
- Get a written estimate before work starts, and don’t sign anything under pressure.
- Over the next few days, check ceilings, walls and baseboards for new stains or swelling.
Water emergency questions, answered
Where is my main water shutoff valve?
Usually where the water line enters the house, often in the garage, a utility closet or along an exterior wall. If you can’t find it, call the city’s 24-hour line at 972-288-7711 and ask for an emergency shut-off, then find the valve and label it afterward.
Should I call my insurance company or a restoration company first?
Stop the water and start protecting the house first, because your policy expects you to limit further damage. Take photos before anything is moved, then report the loss to your insurer. You can call us at the same time, and we can start work while you talk to your insurance company.
Can I stay in the house?
If the water was clean and the power is safe, usually yes. If it was sewage or floodwater, stay out of the affected area, and if a ceiling is sagging, stay out of that room. If you’re unsure, call us and ask.
What if the water came from the unit above mine?
Tell your landlord or property manager in writing right away, photograph your unit, and call us to protect your belongings. Repairs to the building are the landlord’s responsibility, and your renters insurance covers your belongings, not the structure.
How soon do I need to call?
As soon as the water is stopped. Mold can start growing on wet drywall, carpet pad and wood within 24 to 48 hours.
Can I just run fans and a dehumidifier myself?
For a small, clean spill on a hard floor that never touched carpet or walls, sure. For anything that soaked carpet, walls or a ceiling, fans alone don’t tell you how wet things still are, and hidden moisture is how mold and swollen floors happen.
What if I’m not home when the water starts?
Make sure someone you trust knows where your main shutoff is, and consider water leak sensors near the water heater, washer and sinks. Keep the City of Mesquite’s 24-hour line, 972-288-7711, saved in your phone, and photograph everything when you get back. See burst and frozen pipe water extraction.
Is it safe to use the water after a leak?
After a clean supply-line leak, usually yes once the pipe is repaired. After sewage or floodwater, don’t use the water until a plumber has cleared the line, and if the city main may be involved, call the city’s line at 972-288-7711. See sewage backup cleanup.
Keep reading
Water in your house right now? Call us.
Tell us what you see. We will tell you what to do next and what we are bringing.
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