Water Damage Restoration FAQ for Charlotte

Call a water damage restoration crew to start extraction and drying right away, and open a claim with your insurer. If the water came up a drain, it is a sewer backup that needs biohazard handling, and if it came from a creek or the yard, it is contaminated floodwater. For the source, call the right trade: a plumber for a failed line, a roofer for a storm leak. Getting drying started fast is what prevents mold in this climate.

Most Charlotte homes sit over a vented crawl space on dense red clay. The clay holds rainwater against the foundation and it seeps in, while summer humidity keeps the space damp, so water collects under the floor and mold grows on the joists within a day or two. Fast extraction, drying and a fresh vapor barrier are the fix. See our crawl space water damage page.

Clean water comes from a supply line, a water heater or fresh rain, and wet materials can often be dried in place. Grey water comes from a washer, dishwasher or sink drain and needs more cleaning. Black water comes from a sewer backup or creek flooding and carries bacteria, so porous materials it soaked usually have to come out. The type of water sets the whole plan for the job.

Look for paint that bubbles, baseboards that swell or pull away, floors that feel soft or cup, and stains that keep growing. A musty smell near a wall is another sign. A restoration crew uses moisture meters and a thermal camera to find wet areas you cannot see, which is the only way to be sure before walls or floors get closed back up.

A musty smell usually means something is still wet: drywall, carpet pad, insulation or the crawl space under the floor. In Charlotte humidity, damp materials start to grow mold within a day or two, and that is the smell. Air fresheners will not fix it. The wet material has to be dried or removed.

The City of Charlotte posts flood maps that show mapped floodplains along the creeks. If your home sits near Little Sugar, Briar, McAlpine or Sugar Creek, check the map and talk to your agent about flood insurance, since a standard homeowners policy does not cover creek flooding.

No. Restoration is getting the water out and drying the structure before mold starts. Mold remediation is containing and removing mold that has already grown, then fixing the moisture that fed it. Many jobs need both, especially when water sat in a crawl space or behind a wall for a few days. See our mold remediation page.

An experienced local crew helps homeowners across Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, including Dilworth, Myers Park, Plaza Midwood, Ballantyne, Uptown, South End, NoDa, University City, Steele Creek, and the nearby towns of Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville and Huntersville.