Round-the-clock water extraction for flooded basements, burst pipes and storm water in Annandale and nearby Northern Virginia.
Fastest: call (877) 639-0209. Or send this and we call you back.
Emergency water removal is the first stage of any flood or leak job: pumping and extracting standing water so drying can begin. Annandale Water Damage Restoration answers the phone 24/7 for Annandale, inner Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria. A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available, and extraction begins once you approve the estimate.
Water rarely picks a convenient hour. A supply line lets go at 2 a.m., a July thunderstorm fills a window well during dinner, or a frozen pipe thaws on a Sunday afternoon in January. In each case the clock that matters is how long water sits in carpet pad, drywall and subfloor.
Extraction is the quickest way to shorten that clock. Liquid water pulled out with pumps and extraction wands never has to be evaporated, so every gallon removed now saves dehumidifier days later. It also keeps clean water from sitting long enough to turn into a dirtier category.
When you call, expect questions about where the water came from, whether it is still flowing, and whether power is on in the wet area. Those answers decide what equipment goes on the truck. Once the floors are clear, structural drying takes over.
Stop the water at the main shutoff or the fixture valve, keep everyone out of rooms where water may reach outlets, and take photos and video of every wet area. Then move rugs, boxes, electronics and wood furniture to a dry floor. Skip the household vacuum, which is not built for water.
In many Annandale houses the main shutoff sits where the water line enters, often in the basement or utility room on the street side. Find yours before you need it, and make sure the handle turns.
Slide foil or plastic tabs under furniture legs so stains do not bleed into wet carpet. Open interior doors to the wet area, but keep outside windows closed on humid summer days.
Yes. Calls outside regular hours usually carry an emergency or after-hours dispatch fee, estimated at $150 to $350 in Fairfax County. It covers getting a crew out at night, on a weekend or on a holiday. The technician explains it, along with the rest of the estimate, before any work begins.
If the water has stopped and only a small area is wet, ask whether waiting for regular hours makes sense. Sometimes it does. A burst pipe, a flooded basement or anything near electrical equipment usually should not wait.
A small leak under a sink that you have already shut off, with the cabinet emptied and towels down, is a reasonable candidate for a morning call instead.
Carpet soaked with clean water and extracted quickly can often be dried in place, though the pad underneath is usually replaced. Carpet touched by gray water may be cleanable. Carpet and pad soaked by sewage or floodwater are removed. Glue-down basement carpet over concrete is harder to save than stretched carpet over pad.
A weighted extraction tool presses water out of the pad that a wand alone leaves behind. After that, the carpet may be floated with air underneath it so both sides dry.
Wood-look laminate and engineered floors are trickier. Water trapped under them can warp the boards and soak the subfloor, so a few planks may need to come up.
Condos need portable equipment and the building's cooperation. Truck-mounted hoses rarely reach past the lower floors, so crews carry portable extractors and dehumidifiers inside. Management or the building engineer usually shuts off risers, and the units below the leak are checked for water traveling through ceilings and walls.
That pattern is common in garden-style condos along Columbia Pike and Little River Turnpike and in the towers at Bailey's Crossroads and Tysons. Tell management right away so neighboring owners know, and ask who handles the common areas.
Offices, shops and larger buildings follow a similar playbook on a bigger scale; see commercial water damage.
Humid summer air in Fairfax County slows evaporation, so water left in carpet, drywall and subfloors stays there longer. The EPA advises drying water-damaged materials within 24 to 48 hours to prevent or limit mold growth. Pulling liquid water out early gives the dehumidifiers a real chance to meet that window.
Storms add a second problem. The thunderstorms that flood window wells also knock out power, which stops sump pumps and leaves basements filling in the dark. If that happens, sump pump failure cleanup explains what to check once the lights come back.
Never wade into a basement with standing water while the power is on, and never run an extension cord or a household vacuum across wet floors. If the water came from a sewer line or from outside, keep gloves and boots on and keep kids and pets out. Wet drywall that stays damp past two days can start growing mold, so do not close the room up and wait.
The call covers the source, how much water is on the floor, which levels are wet and whether outlets or appliances sit in it. You also get advice on shutting off water and power safely.
A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available, with pumps, extractors and drying equipment matched to what you described.
On arrival the technician confirms the power situation, finds the edges of the wet area with a meter and photographs the damage before anything is moved.
You hear the scope for extraction and initial drying, plus the estimated cost. Pumps start once you approve it.
Deep standing water goes out through a submersible pump. Carpet and pad get repeated passes with an extraction wand or a weighted tool until little more comes up.
Air movers and dehumidifiers are placed before the crew leaves, so drying is already under way when the extraction hoses are rolled up.
A burst pipe, a split toilet supply line or a failed water heater sends clean water across floors fast. It is usually Category 1 at first, which makes quick extraction especially worthwhile; see burst pipe water damage for the winter version.
Window wells, basement stairwells and cracks at the base of block walls let water in during heavy rain. It carries soil and lawn runoff, so it is handled as at least Category 2 and sometimes Category 3.
Backups from a floor drain or toilet are Category 3. Extraction still comes first, but with protective gear, and porous materials touched by the water are removed rather than dried.
Washing machines and dishwashers discharge gray water. It usually stays on one floor, but it runs under cabinets, laminate and vinyl plank quickly.
Emergency work is priced like any other water job, plus a dispatch fee when you call outside regular hours. The technician confirms every number with you before the pumps start.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency / after-hours dispatch fee | $150–$350 | Nights, weekends and holidays |
| Water extraction + structural drying, clean water (Category 1), per sq ft | $3.50–$7.50 | Pumping, extraction and drying together |
| Small clean-water leak, one room (extraction + about 3 days of drying) | $1,200–$3,500 | Most single-room supply leaks |
| Wet carpet and pad removal + disposal, per sq ft | $1–$3 | When the pad cannot be saved |
| Drying equipment, per unit per day (air mover / dehumidifier) | $30–$50 / $90–$175 | Billed only for the days units run |
Estimates for Fairfax County in 2026. Larger losses are priced after the walk-through, and you approve the estimate before extraction begins.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Most emergency calls around Annandale come from a short list: a split-level's lower family room flooded by a July storm, a frozen pipe in a garage wall during a January cold snap, a water heater that gave out in the basement, or a leak from the condo unit upstairs. Each needs different gear, which is why the call starts with questions.
Storm outages are a local wrinkle. When Dominion Energy power drops during a thunderstorm, sump pumps stop, and a basement that has never flooded can take on water quickly. Crews may bring their own pumps and need a working circuit or generator to run drying equipment.
Traffic matters too. Rush hour on the Beltway, I-395 and Little River Turnpike affects how long a crew takes to arrive, which is the honest reason nobody quotes an arrival time on the phone. The advice you get on the call is meant to limit damage until the truck pulls up.
Extraction, measured drying, cleanup and repairs after leaks and floods in Annandale, Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria.
Extraction and drying after frozen or failed pipes burst in Annandale homes, from garage walls to upstairs bathrooms.
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Yes. The phone is answered 24/7, including holidays, and a crew is dispatched as fast as one is available. Late at night fewer crews are on call, so arrival can take longer than on a weekday afternoon.
A wet/dry vacuum handles a few gallons on hard flooring. Once water has soaked carpet pad, reached a wall or spread past one room, a household machine cannot pull it out fast enough and drying stalls.
The water removal crew extracts and dries; a licensed plumber repairs the pipe, water heater or fixture. Often the plumber comes first so the line can go back into service, but extraction does not have to wait for that repair.
Extraction during an active storm can be a losing race. The crew may set pumps to hold the level down and wait until the rain eases before full extraction. Never stand in rising water, and get out if it nears outlets or the furnace.
Usually yes. Pumps and extractors are loud and hoses run through doorways, so keep people and pets out of the work area. A sewage backup may be a reason to stay somewhere else until cleanup is done.
Stopping the water and limiting damage comes first. Call your insurer as soon as you can, take photos before cleanup, and keep the photos and moisture readings from the job to share with them.
Typically submersible pumps for deep water, a truck-mounted or portable extractor, a weighted tool for carpet, moisture meters, and the air movers and dehumidifiers that stay behind for drying. A thermal camera often helps find water hiding in walls and ceilings.