Water Damage Restoration in Allentown, PA

The Lehigh River, the Little Lehigh and Jordan Creek all cross Allentown. On August 4, 2020, Tropical Storm Isaias dropped 4.92 inches here, the wettest August day on record, and both creeks set record crests: the Little Lehigh at 12.76 feet, Jordan Creek at 11.82. Allentown jobs our crew logged in September 2026 included a roof leak traced and the saturated ceiling mitigated before the drywall failed, and a moisture-meter inspection to find a leak not visible on the surface.

About 71 percent of Allentown's housing predates 1970, and more than a third of units are row or attached homes (NeighborhoodScout). An older house can take water from above as well as from below: a roof re-covered rather than stripped, chimney or skylight flashing past its sealant, a supply line in an exterior wall dripping unseen for weeks. Advanced DRI has handled water losses across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut since 2000.

A Stain at the Light Fixture: How Water Moves Through Plaster on Wood Lath

An older house may have plaster walls and ceilings rather than drywall. Plaster does not announce water the way drywall does: roof water soaks the lath and the plaster keys, travels the joists and surfaces at a ceiling fixture well away from the entry; the stain is the end of the path, not its start.

So we read the whole ceiling before cutting. A thermal camera shows the wet run across the joist bays; pin meters confirm it against a dry room, and only then does the saw come out.

Ice Dams, Knee Walls and Frozen Lines: What Comes Down Through an Allentown Ceiling

Allentown averages 47.36 inches of precipitation and 33.1 inches of snow a year, and Lehigh County was included in the 2016 federal disaster declaration for a severe winter storm and snowstorm. Melt that refreezes at a cold eave builds an ice dam, and the water behind it goes under the shingles into a third-floor ceiling or knee wall; in a top floor with knee walls, the insulation behind them is where it ends up.

The record low is minus 15 F, set January 21, 1994. In the February 2026 arctic blast the Lehigh County Authority had counted 18 water main breaks that winter and told customers to wrap exterior meters. LCA's Q4 2024 newsletter said its water responsibility ended at the curb box; from the curb box into the house, the line was the customer's. Photograph the split before the plumber cuts it out; it helps the claim.

Jordan Creek Past 11 Feet: When the Water in an Allentown Basement Is Creek Water

The National Weather Service rates Jordan Creek at Allentown minor at 8 feet, moderate at 10, major at 11. Only Isaias has crossed the major line, at 11.82 feet; Hurricane Agnes in June 1972 reached 11.61 and Hurricane Ida on September 2, 2021 reached 10.71. The river's record is older: on May 23, 1942 the Lehigh at Bethlehem crested at 25.90 feet, and that flood reached Center City streets.

EPA's 2018 consent order describes the city's storm sewers as a separate system, first permitted August 1, 1997, discharging to seven receiving waters. When a creek comes over a basement sill, it carries whatever the creek carried, so we treat it as Category 3 however clear it runs and photograph the waterline on every wall before anything is pulled. Those photos go to the adjuster with our moisture logs.

The Flashing Over the Party Wall: Where a Twin's Roof Leak Can Start

Where the roofs of a twin meet over the party wall, the flashing is one place a leak can start, and water off it runs down whichever side the pitch sends it. A bedroom stain can begin at a seam several feet from the room, so the roof is walked before the ceiling is opened: party-wall flashing first, then the chimney and any skylight.

The shared joint may involve the neighbor's side of the roof as well, and we hold the ceiling open until the roofer's repair is done.

Recent Restoration Work Near Allentown

From the Allentown Office job log, as posted on our Google Business Profile. Details are kept general to protect client privacy.

How a Water Damage Restoration Job Runs in Allentown

1. 1

   Control the water inside, day or night

   We answer 24/7 and are typically on site in 60 to 90 minutes near an office. A plaster ceiling still taking water cannot be read, only emptied: buckets under the fixture, that circuit off at the panel, contents and flooring protected. The roof gets secured by a roofer once it is safe.

2. 2

   Walk the party-wall flashing before the ceiling is cut

   Once the rain stops, the roof is checked at the party-wall seam, the chimney and any skylight, and a thermal camera on the ceiling below shows which joist bays carry the run from that entry point.

3. 3

   Open the plaster to the dry joist bay, not the edge of the stain

   In an older plaster ceiling the lath can read dry while the plaster keys above are soaked, so we cut to the nearest bay that meters dry. Wet insulation out; sound lath stays for the plasterer.

4. 4

   Dry the joist bays from below and the flooring from above

   Air movers into the opened bays, a dehumidifier below; upstairs hardwood is tented and dried from the top so it does not cup. We stop when joists and flooring read the same as an unaffected dry reference area, and the moisture logs go to the adjuster.

5. 5

   Get the roofer's repair done before the ceiling closes

   A new ceiling under an unrepaired flashing is wet again by the next storm; the roofer's invoice goes to the adjuster with our readings.

6. 6

   Plaster back where plaster was, painted to the corners

   Plaster where plaster was, drywall only where the owner wants it, the fixture rehung, paint carried to the corners so the patch does not read as a patch.

Water Damage Response Times From the Allentown Office

Crews dispatch from 801 E. Fairmont St, Allentown. Typical drive times below are for normal traffic; during a regional storm we stage additional equipment and may route the nearest available crew.

Within Allentown: Center City / Downtown, Old Allentown Historic District, 1st Ward, 6th Ward, West End (Hamilton Park, Trexler Park), West Park Historic District, Jordan Heights, Lehigh Parkway (South Side), Mountainville (South Side), East Allentown.