Detroit, MI · Wayne County · water damage line
Call before it soaks in.
Burst pipe, sewer backup, water in the basement. One call reaches a Detroit-area restoration crew that pumps it out and dries what's left.
Call the line
(313) 788-9835You'll talk to a Detroit-area restoration company. Say where the water is coming from.
Each page covers one kind of water: what it does to a Detroit house, what to do first, and what the crew does when they get there.
Pick one. You'll see what kind of water it is, what to do before anyone gets there, and what to say when you call.
Water from a supply line starts clean. EPA says materials dried within 24 to 48 hours usually don't grow mold, so that clock starts when the pipe lets go.
A pipe burst in the basement, the water's off now, and there's about two inches on the floor.Call (313) 788-9835
EPA treats water that carries sewage as contaminated: it needs professional cleanup, and the wet drywall, carpet and pad usually come out.
Sewage came up through the floor drain about an hour ago and it's still sitting there.Call (313) 788-9835
Detroit's rain and sewage share one system of about 3,000 miles of pipe. When a storm overloads it, what comes up the drain is a mix of both.
The storm last night put water in the basement through the drain and the walls, maybe four inches.Call (313) 788-9835
A leaking tank or a split washer hose is supply water. Left sitting, it soaks into drywall, carpet pad and the bottom plate of the walls.
The water heater leaked overnight and soaked the carpet in the finished basement.Call (313) 788-9835
Water through a ceiling travels along joists and shows up far from where it got in. A sagging ceiling is holding water.
Water's coming through the bedroom ceiling and the drywall is starting to sag.Call (313) 788-9835
The source decides the cleanup. Here's what EPA, CDC, DWSD and FEMA guidance says about each.
Clean water
A supply line, water heater or washer hose
Sewage
The floor drain, basement toilet, tub or shower
Storm water
Rain through drains, walls and windows
Clean water
Clean at first, dirtier the longer it sits
Sewage
Yes. EPA says cleanup needs a professional
Storm water
Treat it as dirty. EPA says it can mix with sewage
Clean water
Yes, with dehumidifiers
Sewage
No. EPA says not until the water is clean
Storm water
Not until it's known to be clean
Clean water
Dry within 48 hours (EPA)
Sewage
Throw it out (CDC)
Storm water
Usually comes out (EPA)
Clean water
Dry in place if it hasn't swollen
Sewage
Cut out and replace
Storm water
Cut out where it soaked through
Clean water
Shut the main valve, then this line
Sewage
DWSD 313-267-8000, then this line
Storm water
Your insurer for photos, then this line
Clean water
Homeowners policy, depending on terms
Sewage
A DWSD claim within 45 days, or a backup rider
Storm water
Flood insurance (NFIP), not homeowners
Clean water
Burst and frozen pipes
Sewage
Sewer backup cleanup
Storm water
Storm and flood cleanup
Detroit's rain and sewage run through the same pipes. When a storm fills them, the water looks for the lowest opening, and in most houses that's the basement floor drain. That's why a flooded basement here is so often a sewer backup.
Rain in one day on June 26, 2021, the most in 80 years, per the City of Detroit.
In four hours on August 11, 2014, across Wayne County, per NWS Detroit.
Of combined sewer pipe under the city, per DWSD.
To file a damage claim with DWSD after a backup, under state law.
EPA says wet materials dried within 24 to 48 hours usually don't grow mold. Everything on this slip is about beating that clock.
Stop the water if you can and stay away from anything electrical. Shut the main valve or the valve at the appliance. If water is near outlets or the furnace, don't go down the stairs; DTE's emergency line is 800-477-4747. Then photograph everything before it moves.
A restoration crew pumps out standing water, pulls wet carpet and pad, and sets fans and dehumidifiers (water extraction and drying). Ask your insurer before anything goes to the curb; they may want to see it first. Keep a list as items come out.
The floor, the bottom of the walls and the framing need to be dry. EPA says wet materials dried in 24 to 48 hours usually don't grow mold. Sewage is different: EPA says that cleanup needs a professional.
Some problems belong to the city or DTE first. Call them for these, then call this line for the cleanup.
The line serves Detroit, Dearborn, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Southfield, Redford, Warren and Grosse Pointe.
A water damage restoration company that works in Detroit. This site is the phone line, not the crew. Tell them where the water came from and how deep it is, and they'll tell you what happens next.
It depends on how much water, what kind, and how much has to come out. The crew prices it on the phone or after they see it. There are no prices on this page because no two basements are the same.
Maybe. FEMA notes that standard homeowners policies do not cover flood damage, and sewer backups and burst pipes are treated differently from policy to policy. Photograph everything before cleanup and call your insurer the same day.
Report it to DWSD at 313-267-8000. Under Michigan law you have 45 days to file a damage claim with DWSD after a backup. The cleanup still can't wait for the claim, because sewage water is contaminated.
EPA says that if wet materials are dried within 24 to 48 hours of a leak, mold usually won't grow. Past that, wet drywall and carpet pad are where it starts.
The line serves Detroit and the cities around it, from Dearborn and Hamtramck to Southfield and the Grosse Pointes. Say your street when you call and they'll tell you right away.
Call the line
Sewage came up a drain? Report it to DWSD too, and read the DWSD claim guide before the 45 days run out.