Water tracks sideways before it shows on a ceiling.
So the stain in the hallway is rarely above the thing that failed. These guides start from the sign you can actually see and work back to what is wet, who pays for it, and what has to happen first.
Start with what you can see
Find the row that matches, and you'll get what it usually turns out to be and how fast it needs attention.
These are what each sign turns out to be on most of the jobs we're called to, and none of them is a diagnosis of your building. The timing is about limiting what has to be replaced.
Every guide, by problem
Grouped by what failed, because that's what decides who dries it, who fixes it, and who pays.
Water damage
3 guidesA supply line, a water heater, or a washing machine hose lets go and the water is in the building before anyone is home. What matters is how far it traveled and how long it sat.
The first ten minutes of a burst pipe Where the shutoff usually is in a Miami house and a condo, and what to move before we arrive. Read → How a water damage job runs, day by day Extraction, equipment, daily readings, and the visit the equipment comes out. See → What drying to standard actually means The reading we aim for, the material it is taken from, and why it is not a schedule. See →Air conditioning and humidity
2 guidesHalf the water we pump out of Miami ceilings was made by the air conditioner. A blocked condensate line puts clean water in a wall for weeks without a single drip on the floor.
The A/C is leaking and the ceiling is stained Why the stain is usually downstream of the air handler, and what to check at the pan. Read → Finding a leak without opening the wall Thermal imaging, moisture mapping, and what we open only once we know. See →Mold
2 guidesAt 74% relative humidity outdoors, a building can grow mold with no leak at all. A musty smell with nothing visible is the most common way it announces itself.
Mold with no leak behind it How Miami humidity alone gets drywall paper and dust to growth, and what to change. Read → What remediation involves, room by room Containment, negative air, what gets removed, and who signs it off. See →Drains and sewage
1 guideA backup is a health job before it is a drying job. Sewage water means anything porous in its path comes out rather than drying in place.
A drain backed up into the unit What comes out, what gets disinfected, and how the unit is cleared for reoccupancy. See →Claims and paperwork
3 guidesWhat your carrier decides rests on evidence, and the first 48 hours are when most of it exists. We photograph and log readings from the first visit whether you file or not.
What your adjuster needs from the first 48 hours Dated photographs, per-material readings, and a written scope, in the order they ask for them. See → What a finished file looks like A real job file, start to sign-off, with the readings left in. See → The words on your estimate Category, class, dry standard, and the terms that decide what gets paid for. Read →The questions that come up on the first call
Four we answer several times a week, in the words people use when they ask them.
How do I know whether this can wait until morning?
Call and describe what you can see. Standing water, a ceiling that is sagging, or anything touching an electrical panel is the same visit. A stain that hasn’t grown and a floor that’s dry to the touch can usually wait for a scheduled visit, and we’ll say so on the phone. It costs nothing to find out.
Will my insurance cover this?
Sudden and accidental water is usually covered, and long-term seepage and deferred maintenance usually are not. Coverage often comes down to how well the first 48 hours were documented, so we photograph and log readings from the first visit whether you file or not. We’ll tell you what your policy is likely to treat as sudden. The file goes to you either way.
Do I need a mold test before anything happens?
Usually not to start. We look at it first, and where a project needs a formal assessment we coordinate an independent licensed assessor, then work to the protocol they write. Florida licensing keeps assessment and remediation separate, so the party deciding the job is finished is never the party being paid to finish it.
Can I dry it myself with fans?
Fans move air, and in Miami humidity that often moves moisture into materials rather than out of the building. If the water is clean, contained, and you catch it inside a few hours, a wet vacuum and a rented dehumidifier can be enough. Anything into drywall, cabinetry, or a subfloor needs equipment sized to the space and a daily reading to prove the materials are reaching dry standard.
Written and maintained by Francisco Portillo, owner, IICRC certified. We're a local, independently owned company who directly runs the jobs these guides describe. Every figure here came off a meter on a real one, and anything set by Florida statute carries the date it was last checked.
Call now. We'll tell you if it can wait.
Describe the room and what you can see. You'll get what to shut off first, and a straight answer on when we can get there.