Water Damage Emergency Checklist (Printable)

Fill this in before you need it

Walk your house once with this page and a pen. It takes about fifteen minutes, and it is the most useful fifteen minutes you will spend on water damage prevention.

In most Flagstaff homes the main shutoff is where the water line enters the house: a utility or laundry room, the garage wall nearest the street, under the kitchen sink in some older homes, or in the crawl space near the front foundation wall. Test it once a year; old gate valves can seize.

Step 1: Stop the water

• Turn the main shutoff clockwise until it stops (round handle) or a quarter turn so the lever crosses the pipe (ball valve).
• If you cannot reach or turn the house valve, use the valve in the meter box near the street.
• On a well system, switch off the well pump breaker first, then close the valve after the pressure tank.
• Open the lowest faucet in the house to drain the lines and relieve pressure.
• For a single fixture, close the small valve under the sink or behind the toilet.
• If the water heater is leaking, close its cold supply valve and turn off its gas or power.

Step 2: Make it safe

• Turn off breakers for any room where water is near outlets, lights or appliances. Never stand in water to reach the panel; if the panel is wet, call the utility.
• Keep everyone out of rooms with a bulging or sagging ceiling.
• If you smell gas, leave the house and call the gas company from outside.
• If the water came up through a drain, treat it as sewage: gloves, boots, no bare skin contact, and stop using all water in the house.
• In a flood or flash flood warning, move to higher ground first. Property comes second.

Step 3: Photograph everything

Before you move or throw anything away, take photos and short videos. Insurers rely on them.

• Wide shots of each wet room from the doorway.
• The source: the split pipe, failed hose, overflowing fixture or roof leak.
• The water line on walls and the depth of standing water.
• Damaged belongings, with model and serial numbers where you can.
• The outside of the house, including ice dams, roof damage or flood debris.

Save the failed part, such as a burst hose or pipe section, in a bag. Adjusters sometimes ask to see it.

Step 4: Limit the damage

• Move electronics, documents and valuables out of wet rooms.
• Put foil or wood blocks under furniture legs.
• Pull up area rugs and hang them to drain.
• Mop or towel standing water from hard floors if it is safe.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks and in wet rooms.
• Keep the heat on in winter, both to prevent more frozen pipes and to help drying.
• Do not use a household vacuum on water, and do not turn on ceiling fans or lights in a wet ceiling.

Step 5: Make the calls

1. Emergency water removal. The sooner water is extracted, the less of the house has to be torn out. See water removal and extraction.
2. Your insurance company. Report the loss and write down the claim number. The insurance guide explains what is usually covered.
3. A plumber, roofer or septic company to fix the source. Drying should not wait for them.
4. Your landlord or HOA if you rent or live in a condo or townhome.

Quick reference by emergency

Before winter in Flagstaff

Most Flagstaff water emergencies happen between November and March. Before the first hard freeze, disconnect hoses, insulate pipes in crawl spaces and garages, test heat tape, and set the thermostat no lower than 55°F, even when you travel. For cabins and rentals, add a temperature alarm or automatic leak shutoff. The frozen pipe guide has the full winter routine.

Keep a small water emergency kit

A few inexpensive items, stored together near the main shutoff, make the first ten minutes of any leak far easier:

• A meter key or large adjustable wrench for the street-side shutoff.
• A flashlight or headlamp with fresh batteries; leaks often take out the lights.
• A wet-dry vacuum, two buckets, a stack of old towels and a squeegee.
• A roll of plastic sheeting and painter's tape to protect furniture or cover a broken window.
• Rubber gloves, rubber boots and a few N95 masks for sewage or ash.
• Aluminum foil or furniture blocks to lift legs off wet carpet.
• A printed copy of this checklist with your shutoff locations filled in.

If you own a cabin or rental, keep a second kit there and make sure the property manager or a neighbor knows where it is and where the shutoff is. A smart leak sensor and automatic shutoff valve belong in that kit too.