Water damage questions from Kenner homeowners
Most questions fall into four groups: what to do in the first minutes, why water gets into Kenner homes, what the crew does on arrival, and what to do about the insurance side. The answers below follow the same order, and each one names the step to take first.
- Drainage and pump flooding
- Hurricane and storm rain
- Burst pipes and humidity
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The first few minutes
Where is the main water shut-off in an older house?
Often in the cellar or the utility area, where the service pipe enters the house. Find it before you need it, and ask the phone team for help if you cannot find it.
Is it safe to switch off the power myself?
Only if the panel is dry and you can reach it without standing in water. If the panel is wet, leave it alone and call.
Should I run the taps to check for a leak?
No. Running water while a line is broken adds to the damage. Close the main and check the water meter with every fixture off.
What should I move first?
Valuables, papers and small electronics, to a dry, high surface. Photograph the room before you move them.
Why water gets in here
Why do Kenner houses take water when the drainage fails?
Rain that the drainage cannot move runs across the yard and finds the lowest opening, and the water that stands outside raises the moisture in the ground beside the house.
Why does water come through the floor drain?
When the outside drainage is overwhelmed, water can push back through drains that cannot empty. That is a sign to stop using the drain and call.
Why does a ceiling stain appear days after a storm?
Water can soak into insulation above the ceiling and then migrate to a seam, so the stain can appear after the rain has stopped.
Can water come up through the slab?
It can, when the ground beside the house is saturated. The crew reads the slab edge and the floor for moisture from below.
What the crew does
Will the crew open the walls?
Only where the readings show the water is inside the wall. The crew opens the smallest area it needs and explains each opening before it is made.
How do you know when a house is dry?
The readings at marked points return to a normal level for each material and stay there over the visits. A surface that looks dry is not the test.
Can I stay in the house while it dries?
Sometimes, but not in the rooms where the work is underway or where the power is off. The crew tells you which rooms can be used.
Will the crew come out at night?
Calls are answered at any hour, and a crew is sent as soon as one is free. No arrival time is promised.
The insurance side
What should I photograph for the claim?
The water, the wet line on the walls, the damaged contents and the source, before anything is moved. Keep the photographs dated and unedited.
Who decides what the policy covers?
The insurer and the policy. This site does not state policy terms, deadlines or limits.
Who handles a complaint about a claim?
The Louisiana Department of Insurance takes complaints about how a claim is handled. Start with the insurer in writing.
Why does the crew keep so many records?
The readings, the scope and the photographs show what the water did and how the building was dried, which the insurer and the homeowner both need.
Question not answered here?
Call and ask. A technician will give you a straight answer, even if the answer is that you do not need us.