Water Damage · Red Hook
Red Hook has water on three sides and sits low. Water damage here comes from two directions: the harbor, and the plumbing inside buildings that are often more than a century old.
Most of Red Hook is in a flood zone. Sandy showed how far the harbor can reach, and strong coastal storms still push water onto the lowest blocks and into basements, ground floors and storefronts. Outside floodwater counts as contaminated, so wet drywall, insulation and flooring usually come out rather than get dried in place, and whatever stays gets cleaned before drying starts. More on our storm and flood damage page.
Old supply lines that burst, failed water heaters and appliance leaks cause most of the calls in the row houses and small multi-family buildings on the side streets. In the converted warehouses, open floor plans and old wood decking let a leak on one floor spread wide across the floor below.
Brick and masonry hold water far longer than drywall. A basement wall can look dry and still read wet inside. We take readings in the masonry, not just the drywall, and keep the equipment running until the numbers say the structure is dry. More on how structural drying works.
Red Hook's waterfront is full of businesses in old buildings: shops and restaurants along Van Brunt Street, artist studios, workshops and warehouses. Many sit at street level or a step below it, so when water comes in, inventory, equipment and finished work are on the floor with it. We get the water out first, then work through with you what can be dried and what has to go, and document it room by room for your carrier. See commercial water damage.
Buildings this old have usually been re-plumbed in pieces over the decades, so one building can have several generations of pipe. Galvanized steel supply lines rust from the inside and tend to fail at the threaded joints. Cast iron drain lines crack with age, often where you can't see them. Newer copper or plastic sections get tied into old ones, and those transitions are a common place for leaks. When we find the source, we'll tell you what kind of pipe failed, so your plumber knows whether it's a one-off repair or a sign the rest of the line is close behind.
In older Red Hook buildings, the electrical panel and plenty of outlets sit low, often in the basement. If water reached them, stay out of the water, and don't flip breakers while standing in it. If you can't reach the panel from a dry spot, call Con Edison and have the power shut off from outside. Before anything that got wet is turned back on, have an electrician check it. We won't run drying equipment on circuits that were under water until they've been cleared.
It's usually a sewer backup, which gets handled as contaminated water, not a clean leak. See sewage cleanup in Red Hook for how that works.
Yes. We coordinate with the owner or management, since a leak in one unit usually reaches others.
Sometimes. If the water was clean and the wet area can be closed off, drying equipment can run in that section while the rest stays open. If it was floodwater or sewage, the affected area has to stay closed until it's cleaned and dried.
Water coming in right now in Red Hook? Call 646-543-2242. If the water left mold behind, see mold remediation in Red Hook.
Water, fire, mold, or sewage, one call starts the recovery. We show up fast and we do not leave until it is done right.
Call 646-543-2242 Request ServiceRequest Service
We'll call you right back, and give you a free estimate. For an active emergency, the fastest way to reach us is by phone, day or night.