Water Damage Restoration in Lansdale, PA

What does a railroad-town core mean for a wet basement?

The older blocks near the station have early-1900s rowhouses and twins, and many have full basements. Those basements are where water shows up first, from seepage after long rain, a failed sump pump or a drain that backs up.

A house of that age often has plaster ceilings, a cast-iron drain stack and a mix of supply pipe. A leak can run inside a wall cavity for weeks before it shows. The rowhouse and twin water damage page covers what the crew looks at when two houses share a wall.

Rowhouses share walls with neighbors, so a leak can cross a property line. The crew takes moisture readings on your side, and it asks you to talk to the neighbor if the water may have spread.

A railroad-town core also tends to have older commercial buildings along the main blocks, with apartments or offices above ground-floor shops. If the leak is in a building of that kind, the commercial water damage page explains how a walkthrough and quote work.

Where does the Wissahickon start, and why does it matter here?

The Wissahickon Creek is generally described as rising in this part of Montgomery County. That should be confirmed before it is quoted as fact. If it is right, then the storms that fill the creek downstream, where Ida pushed the Fort Washington gauge to 17.74 feet in 2021, begin as runoff from streets and parking lots like Lansdale's.

That is not a flood warning for any one street. It is a reason to take downstream flooding seriously even if your own block stayed dry. The same rain that flooded Ambler and Flourtown fell on the roofs and driveways here first, and ground that is already wet sends more of it downhill.

Surface water and creek water are Category 3, and a standard homeowners policy excludes flood. Flood insurance is a separate policy, and it generally takes 30 days to take effect. Check your policy and ask your agent before the next storm, not after it.

What about the 1950s and 1960s ranchers and sump pumps?

Around the older core, the streets are 1950s and 1960s ranchers and newer townhomes. Many have basements with a sump pump, and a long rain raises the water table. When the power goes out in a storm, the pump stops and the basement can fill.

The sump pump failure page explains what the crew does after a pump fails. Installing a battery backup is a plumber's job, and the crew handles the water and the drying.

A rancher spreads one floor over a wide footprint, so a leak from a water heater or a supply line can wet a large area of floor. The basement flooding cleanup page explains the order of work in a finished basement.

Who supplies the water, and who handles permits?

The North Penn Water Authority is the water supplier for the area. If the water is coming from the street side of the meter, call the authority. The crew can help stop the water inside the house and dry it afterward.

Lansdale is a borough, so building, plumbing and electrical permits come from the borough's own office, not Montgomery County. Ask what a repair needs before it starts, because a rebuilt wall or a new circuit is a different matter from emergency drying.

State law asks most home improvement contractors to register with the Attorney General and to put jobs over $500 in a written contract. A contractor's registration can be looked up on the Attorney General's website.