The damages caused by water is a nightmare to a homeowner. Causes can range from flood, natural sources, busted pipes, and leaking sewer lines. Whatever the cause the experience is daunting.
Here is a guide that will help you understand the cleanup restoration process and handle this problem in case of facing those issues.
The categories of water damage are:
When your home has flooded, it's hard to think straight in all the chaos that befell. However, knowing what to do following the aftermath can help you ease the stress to make sure things will go smoothly in the cleanup restoration project. Here's a guide to keeping you on track during your water damage restoration:
Contact your flood insurance provider to report the flood in your home or your homeowner's insurance if you have none. Take photos of the damage to use as evidence. Keep damaged items to prove to the adjuster you lost them. This will make the cleanup restoration process easier.
After the adjuster completes the inspection and assessment of the damage, you will sign a proof of loss statement.
Before entering the premises, turn off gas and electrical systems for the safety of the people inside the property. Even if the water damage in your home doesn’t appear to have affected your electrical system, there are often hidden dangers that may not be obvious.
Safety should always be the first consideration before beginning any cleanup restoration. It only takes a small oversight to put yourself, a family member or a hired contractor at risk when you’re working to restore your home after water damage. It’s best to approach the process with an abundance of caution at all times.
Your local water damage restoration service providers are professionals who will respond to your emergency immediately to remove water quickly and dry your house thoroughly. They have water restoration specialists who are highly trained, equipped with the latest cleanup restoration equipment, and savvy to make your house feel like home again.
An experienced technician will assess the damage and what needs repairing. They will use sensors, meters, and visual inspection to determine the extent of the damage including the walls, floors, ceiling, carpet, furniture, fixtures, and equipment.
An assessment will be prepared for your review. Talk with the technician to understand what is needed to be done.
Standing water will be removed before other work will continue. This will allow technicians to find the source and plug it so that the water flow is stopped. After the hole has been plugged or the crack where water is seeping in has been filled there’s still plenty of work left to do before the cleanup restoration project is complete.
You’ll want to examine all areas where the water damage occurred for signs of mould and make sure it’s removed so that it can’t pose an ongoing health risk for your family. This is often a major concern in basements where there’s typically more moisture present.
The drying process begins after the damaged area has been cleared of water and the structural hazards have been removed. They install fans and dehumidifiers in the area and may require plastic sheeting and heater to hasten water evaporation. Holes will be drilled to affected walls and baseboards to let it dry properly. Carpets may need to be lifted and sections of wood may need to be removed to avoid odor and mold growth. Excessive moisture might have damaged the house's structure.
The area damaged by water needs to be done in a timely manner. If the schedule is pushed, the damage will spread or a clean water damage could escalate to a gray water damage and so on. Foregoing immediate repairs can have impacts on your health, the cleanup restoration and your house's structure.
The extent of repair depends on the scope of the damage. Wood materials on walls, ceiling, and shelves may not dry properly, requiring replacement. The floor may need retiling, and an application of a fresh coat of paint can be done to restore the area.
Technicians will monitor the drying process with their meters to test the moisture content. This might take several days to recover. It can be frustrating waiting for the monitoring process to be completed, but it’s necessary whenever there’s water damage to your home. It’s an essential part of the cleanup and restoration process and you can’t take shortcuts when the health and well-being of your family are at stake.
Once the reading in the moisture meter stabilizes the drying equipment will be removed and the cleanup restoration process is completed. The sense of relief you’ll feel at this point in the process is understandable, but that doesn’t mean you can let your guard down just yet.
Not all damages will be seen, some will be noticed after the cleanup restoration team is packed up. Be ready for additional expenses to cover repairs. For instance, defective electrical equipment, faulty electrical systems, leaky faucet water pipes, and cabinet repairs.
Friendly, professional customer service, plus fair pricing, equals value.
