As a homeowner, the damage flooding can do to your house and property can be devastating. Whether it’s from a busted pipe or a natural disaster, the water damage restoration process is likely to be costly and time-consuming, not to mention stressful.
If you ever find yourself in the midst of a flood problem or if you are dealing with one now, here is what you need to know about flood damage repair.
Why You Need Flood Damage Repair
Lots of rain or snow? A leaky toilet, sink, or roof? Once there is unwanted water in your home, the damage quickly follows it, so it is crucial to get the water out as soon as possible. Lingering water damage can erode the structural integrity of your home. While the water may be clean, it could also contain bacteria or other organisms, and both types of water can be harmful to the building’s structure and the health of you, your family members and pets.
Within minutes of water being present in your home, items made of metal, including screws and nails, soon begin to rust, making formations held upon by these items structurally unsound. Hours of water being present can make items made of plywood start to delaminate and particle boards start to buckle. Furniture then will begin to split, crack, and warp, carpets start to stain and dyes from both rugs and walls begin to seep on to other items. Days after water being present, mold will begin to form, which brings the “musty” odor water is known to cause, and electronics will begin to malfunction and corrode.
Mold growth can result in serious health issues, including allergy/asthma problems, as well as possible respiratory diseases and other medical complications. The key to mold control is moisture control, so our water restoration program can save you from all of these potential health concerns. The longer water sits in your home, the worse the problem gets.
Turn Off Your Power
Water and electricity are a deadly combination. Do not enter your home if there is standing water until the power has been disconnected at its main source. Electrical fires can start easily, and electrocution is a significant risk if there are standing pools of water. Disconnecting and removing electronic items should be the first priority as electronic equipment is most susceptible to water damage.
With dry hands and an insulated tool, turn off the power to the main breaker. If you are not comfortable doing this, call an electrician to do it for you. After floodwaters have subsided you should still not turn on your power until a certified electrician comes out to your home and deems it safe.
Document Everything
Your flood insurance company needs to be notified immediately so they can begin filing your claim. Once your home has been assessed and you are cleared to go back inside, you need to document all damages. Take pictures of all of the flooded areas of your home from multiple different angles. Get close up photographs to show detailed damage. This should include interior and exterior pictures. Don’t forget photos of any damaged furniture and personal items. Use your phone or video camera to do a walkthrough of your home and the outside property. These pictures and videos need to be taken before any repairs begin on your home, otherwise, you may decrease your insurance company’s coverage of the incident. Write down personal property damage along with estimated values for furniture, electronics, food, etc… Keep track of all the paperwork you receive from our company, including estimates, assessments, and bills.
Move Your Furniture and Open Windows
Just because the water has stopped rising, doesn’t mean your furniture, curtains, and other possessions are safe. Get them off of a soaking-wet carpet as quickly as possible to prevent them from absorbing too much moisture. This will make mold removal and mold remediation easier in the future. Throw away any food that has come in contact with floodwaters.
Begin ventilating the area as soon as possible by opening doors and windows. Open cabinets and drawers to help airflow. If an electrician has given the OK on turning the power back on, use fans and a dehumidifier to help dry out your home.
Pay attention to where the water goes
You should also be sure to pay close attention to where the water is in your home. As the water dries up or is removed, you will need to remember how close the water has been to the walls and how far up the walls it has gone. This will give you a good idea of where to start looking for mold growth in the days to come.
Above ground, water can enter through doorways and windows, even closed ones. The pressure of even just a few inches of water can be enormous, and can easily force water through the smallest cracks or keyholes.
If you have ventilation openings or pipes and cables that pass through walls (such as telephone and cable lines) water can easily degrade and break through the sealant, and then begin entering your home. Even if your home has brickwork or other forms of masonry instead of sheetrock, if the mortar has become weathered and permeable then water can rush through the spaces between stones.
If the property surrounding your home becomes saturated, you may not notice until water begins rising up through your floorboards or through the walls of your basement. It may also inundate your pipes and overflow your toilets, sinks, baths, even dishwashers and washing machines.
Water is a force to be reckoned with, and even the most advanced flood prevention measures are not guaranteed. It is always important to maintain structural integrity, and having firsthand knowledge of each portion of your home will help you to assess occurring damage.
Flood Damage Repair Cleanup
After you have documented the damages and contacted your insurance company, it’s time to get the water out of your home. You may be tempted to do it yourself, but experts can treat your home with professional machinery. This alone ensures that your home is treated properly and faster. Also, attempting work you are not qualified to do could result in mistakes that cost you more money in the end. You could also invalidate your flood insurance policy. Your best bet is to call Environmental Protection Solutions and let our professional team put your home back together.
Once we are aware of the issue, our first significant step is to assess the situation ourselves. No matter your predicament, our certified professionals will come up with your ideal plan for water restoration, based on your unique building, budget, and water issues. We understand that your building and damage may be different from anything we have seen before, and we are prepared to problem-solve to do our best to help.
At Environmental Protective Solutions, we use our Intrusion Analysis Process (IAP) approach to solve any water damage issues. Not only do we focus on damage to the building’s structure that has already happened, but we also work on loss prevention at the same time. While other companies may also offer to stabilize the situation, we will enact a plan for preventing future water damage, which will save you more money, time, and energy in the long run. This approach can increase restoration and recovery by at least 50 percent, meaning that your investment in our company will give you impressive results.
Mold — An Unseen Part of Flood Damage Repair
There are a lot of mold-repair services out there who claim to fix your life after they rid your house of mold. They do their “treatments,” take your check and leave you in limbo. The reality is that your house needs some TLC, even after the mold infestation is gone. Mold and water damage can cause some severe damage to your home, and you want to talk to a trustworthy and reputable company that is qualified to fix up your home. At Environmental Protective Solutions, we understand the damage mold remediation can cause. We are the best people for the restoration job because of how many times we have put homes back together after a mold or water remediation.
You can trust us to do the job because we have seen it all — from small leaks in single-family homes to extreme damage in huge corporations. We have experienced a wide variety of home restoration jobs, and we treat each job the same. We put the same amount of effort into repairing and restoring your home after a mold or water-damage project. We want to work with you to examine the damage, come up with a plan, and execute that plan
If you suspect water damage in your home, be sure to call Environmental Protective Solutions as soon as possible, and we will get the situation under control. The quicker we know about the situation, the quicker we can help you, so do not delay in reaching out to us.