Water removal in Houston is the part of the job that cannot wait for business hours. Every hour standing water sits on the floor, more of it wicks into the carpet pad, under the baseboards and up the bottom of the drywall, and every gallon that soaks in is one that has to be dried out slowly later.
This page explains what emergency water removal involves, the equipment a restoration company brings, what happens to wet carpet and pad, and the one mistake many homeowners make in the first hour. It also covers what you can safely do yourself before help arrives.
Water Damage Pro Houston does not remove water. It is a free phone line: when you dial (832) 662-4107 at any hour and tell the automated assistant what happened and whether water is still coming in, your call is transferred to an independent, locally owned restoration company. That company sends its own people and equipment, gives you its own estimate and bills you directly.
What is water extraction?
Extraction means pulling liquid water out of the building instead of waiting for it to dry. It comes right after the inspection and before any drying equipment is set up. A restoration company usually works in this order:
- Confirm the water source is stopped (a plumber repairs the leak; the main shutoff buys time).
- Decide the water category: clean, gray or black.
- Pump out deep standing water, if there is any, with a submersible pump.
- Extract water from carpet and pad with extraction wands or weighted tools that press water up out of the pad.
- Vacuum hard floors and check under them for trapped water.
- Measure what is left with moisture meters, then plan the drying.
The goal is to take out as much as possible as liquid. Dehumidifiers and air movers come next, on the water damage restoration side of the job.
Truck-mounted or portable extraction
You will hear both terms when you call around. Neither is better in every home. What matters is that the equipment fits the job and the building.
| Question | Truck-mounted unit | Portable unit |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Built into a vehicle parked outside; long hoses run in through a door | Wheeled or carried into the house |
| Suction and capacity | Generally stronger, with a larger waste tank | Generally less, with smaller tanks that are emptied more often |
| Power | Usually runs on its own engine, which helps when the power is out | Usually plugs into house power or a generator |
| Where it fits best | Large single-story homes with a driveway close to the door | Upstairs apartments, high-rise units, gated complexes and townhomes with no close parking |
| Things to ask | How far the hoses can reach and whether a door must stay open | How many units are coming for the size of the area |
Many companies carry both, plus submersible pumps for deeper water. Ask what they plan to bring after you describe the rooms, the floor type and whether you are in a house or an apartment.
Why fans before the water category is a mistake
Turning on every fan in the house feels like the right move. The EPA's mold remediation guidance says otherwise: do not use fans before determining that the water is clean or sanitary. When water is known or suspected to be contaminated with sewage or chemical or biological pollutants, the same guidance says OSHA requires protective equipment and containment for the people doing the work.
Safe to do now
Close the main water shutoff if you can reach it safely. Photograph and video every wet room before anything moves. Lift small rugs, shoes, papers and photos off the floor if you can do it without stepping into water near outlets or cords. Note where the water came from; it tells the company the category.
Wait on these
Do not aim fans at water from a toilet, floor drain, washer drain or flood. Do not walk through sewage water or let children or pets near it. Do not plug in or unplug anything while standing in water. Leave wet carpet and drywall where they are so the company can measure and assess them.
What happens to wet carpet and pad
Carpet pad is the foam or fiber cushion under the carpet. It soaks up water like a sponge, and in a home built on a slab it sits directly on the concrete, where it is slow to dry. The EPA's guidance for clean water damage is to remove water with an extraction vacuum, then dry the carpet and its backing, using a dehumidifier to bring down the humidity. Pad sitting on a slab is the slowest part to dry, so ask how the company will check it.
Contaminated water is different. Federal flood cleanup guidance generally treats soaked carpet and padding as items to throw away when they cannot be cleaned and dried quickly. Sewage and floodwater in pad is not something a careful company tries to rescue.
Ask the company whether your pad will be dried in place, pulled and replaced, or discarded, and why. Before anything is hauled away, photograph it and keep a small cut sample if your insurer asks for one.
Safety before anything else. If you smell gas, leave the house now and, once outside, call 911 and your gas utility's emergency line (CenterPoint Energy serves much of greater Houston). Never walk into standing water near outlets, cords or appliances; switch power off at the breaker only if you can reach the panel while standing on a dry floor, otherwise call your electric utility (CenterPoint Energy in much of greater Houston) or an electrician. Stay out of sewage water. If it is safe to reach, close the main water shutoff.
Water removal calls in greater Houston
Most emergency water removal here starts in one of a few ways. A supply line or water heater fails while the family is at work. A storm drives rain through a roof or around a window. An air conditioning drain line or attic drain pan overflows in July. A sewer line backs up into a downstairs bathroom. Or, during a hard freeze like February 2021, pipes split in an attic or exterior wall and water pours out the moment the ice thaws.
Big storms add two complications. Power can be out for days, which leaves portable equipment waiting on a generator. And demand jumps all at once. After a declared disaster, Chapter 58 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code bars a contractor that has not kept a physical address in your county, or a neighboring county, for at least a year from requiring full or partial payment before it starts disaster remediation work; the Texas Department of Insurance explains this rule. Do not sign over an insurance check to a contractor you just met.
If the water came from outside, from a bayou or street flooding, read the flood damage restoration page, since floodwater is handled as contaminated. For a pipe that froze or split, the burst pipe page covers the plumbing side, and the first 48 hours guide lays out your own steps in order.
What to ask before extraction starts
- What category is this water, and what does that mean for my carpet and pad?
- What equipment are you bringing, and will it reach every wet room?
- Can I have the estimate in writing, including after-hours charges, before work begins?
- Will you photograph and measure moisture before and after extraction?
- What will you remove today, and what are you trying to save?
- When will you come back to take readings and move equipment?
Call your insurer as well to report the damage and ask what your policy covers, what your deductible is and whether there is a deadline for filing. The insurance guide lists those questions in full.
- Dial the numberAn automated assistant picks up (832) 662-4107 at any hour, holidays included.
- Say what happenedA burst pipe, a flood, a roof or appliance leak, a sewage backup or mold, whether water is still coming in, and where in greater Houston you are.
- Get connectedYour call is transferred to an independent, locally owned water damage restoration company, which hears a short summary first.
- Work with that companyIt inspects, quotes, does the work and bills you or your insurer as you arrange. If it misses the call, it gets your name, number, area and problem to call you back.
Related pages
- Water Damage Restoration in Houston
- Flood Damage Restoration
- Burst Pipe Water Damage
- Water Damage Repair
- Water Damage Restoration Cost
- How to Check a Water Damage Company Before Hiring
About this line: Water Damage Pro Houston is a free phone line, not a restoration company. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local water damage restoration company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. The line never charges you. Read how the line works.