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Gear to keep on hand for water damage
A restoration crew has industrial equipment, and you will not match it with store-bought gear. What a homeowner can own is a way to catch a leak early and a way to check whether a wall has dried. These are the items our handbook points to.
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General Tools MMD7NP pinless moisture meter
A pinless moisture meter like the General Tools MMD7NP is the one thing here worth owning before you ever need it. The handbook says a crew that doesn't use moisture meters can't show you or your insurer when the job is done. A meter of your own lets you check their numbers and keep checking a wall after they leave.
What to look for: Pinless meters read through the surface without poking holes in drywall. Compare a reading on a wall you know is dry first, so you know what normal looks like in your house.
RIDGID 16-gallon wet/dry shop vacuum
For small spills, a wet/dry vac such as the RIDGID 16-gallon will do the job. For a small spill of clean water, such as a leaking supply line or an overflowed sink, pulling the water up fast is the first thing you can do yourself.
What to look for: Use it for clean water only. Sewage, floodwater from outside and anything that came up through a drain is a job for a professional.
hOmeLabs 8 pint dehumidifier
A small dehumidifier like the hOmeLabs 8 pint is what you reach for next. After the standing water is gone, damp air keeps the room wet. A dehumidifier helps in a small room or basement corner once a pro has said the structure is drying properly.
What to look for: This size suits roughly 1,800 square feet or a single damp room. A flooded whole basement needs a bigger unit, or the restoration company's equipment.
GoveeLife Wi-Fi water leak detector, 5 pack with gateway
Leak sensors such as the GoveeLife Wi-Fi 5 pack are the cheapest early warning you can buy. A sensor on the floor beside the water heater, washing machine or sink will alarm in minutes and send a message to your phone, which is much sooner than you would notice a slow leak yourself.
What to look for: Put one under each sink, one by the water heater and one by the washer. The sensors talk to the included gateway, so the gateway needs your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
Water coming in right now? Find a restoration company near you.
Most water damage starts with a leak, so the plumbing gear list covers the small tools that help you catch one early.
If the water came through the ceiling, the roofing gear list has ways to check the roof from the ground.
This list goes with The Water Damage Restoration Handbook, and you can get the free Water Damage Restoration Handbook on our water damage directory page. Items and availability change, so check the Amazon page before you buy. Affiliate disclosure.