Key points
- Do not relight or use a gas appliance that sat in water.
- Smell gas? Leave the house and call your gas company or 911 from outside.
- Controls and valves damaged by water can fail unsafely.
- A qualified technician decides whether to repair or replace.
What to do
- If you smell gas or hear hissing, leave right away — do not switch lights or use your phone inside.
- If water reached the furnace, water heater or dryer, leave them off.
- Shut off power to the flooded area if it is safe — see electrical safety.
- Have a licensed HVAC or plumbing technician inspect each appliance before it is used again.
The rest of the basement
While the appliances wait for inspection, the water still needs to come out and the structure needs to dry. We extract the water, remove what cannot be dried and set up drying equipment with daily moisture readings — see drying out a wet basement and water heater leaks. Vault documents the damage, records daily moisture readings, scopes in Xactimate, and bills State Farm, USAA, Allstate, Farmers, and Bear River Mutual directly.
Common questions
Can I turn the gas back on myself?
No. If the gas was shut off at the meter, only your gas utility or a qualified technician should turn it back on and relight pilot lights, after every appliance on the line has been checked.
Will a flooded water heater or furnace need to be replaced?
Not always, but gas control valves and burners that sat in water are a common reason to replace parts or the whole unit, and many manufacturers say a control that has been under water should be replaced rather than reused. A licensed technician makes that call.
What about carbon monoxide after a flood?
Debris and water can block flues and vents, and damaged appliances can burn poorly. Make sure your carbon monoxide alarms work, never run generators or fuel-burning equipment inside or in an attached garage, and leave the house if an alarm sounds.
Flooded basement?
Call (385) 250-2825 — answered live 24/7 by the Vault crew.
Basement flooding · Water extraction · HVAC cleaning after water damage