Water damage is something that needs to be taken seriously and the repair work should not be handled by amateurs. Water damage can lead to microbial growth (mold) if not mitigated immediately. If wet material is left alone, microbes can form resulting into airborne particulates contaminating the air in your home. . Just because the water recedes doesn’t mean that the danger is gone. In this article we are going to talk about the steps that are needed in the event that your home has had water damage. Follow these steps to get your home in a repair ready state
Topics on this article:
– Inspection of Property for Water Damage
– Water Extraction: Getting Rid of Standing Water
– Stabilize the Situation to Prevent Further Damage
– Dry Affected Structure Materials
– In-Depth Monitoring & Inspection
– Final Walk Through: Affected Areas Are Ready For Repairs
Understanding what is needed to properly clean a heavily damaged area and how the process works shows just why you need premier water damage restoration experts like the ones at Disaster Services Water Damage Removal to make sure the job is done right.
1. Inspection of Property for Water Damage
The first step is a thorough inspection of the damaged area. This will help us determine the extent of services needed such as additional labor, meters, extraction units, air movers (fans), dehumidifiers, air scrubbers, antimicrobial agent, and containment supplies. The technician will locate the source that caused the damage and stop the flow of water. Professional moisture meters with attachments and thermal imaging cameras will help determine the extent of the damage and what material will need to be removed in order to bring the structure to a pre loss state.
2. Water Extraction: Getting Rid of Standing Water
Placement of drying equipment can not be installed until all the standing water is removed. Our company uses a very powerful commercial truck mount extraction unit that will help us get the water extracted quickly. Contents, furniture, and appliance will need to be manipulated in order to successfully remove all the standing water. The more water we can remove with our extraction wand, the quicker the soaked up structural material will be dried.
3. Stabilize the Situation to Prevent Further Damage
There are degrees of water damage, and stabilizing the situation to prevent further damage can keep normal water damage from turning into microbial (mold) damage. This isn’t only stopping leaks but also possibly removing damaged walls, floors, or ceilings in order to get all damaged materials that may be hidden in wall cavity, ceilings, or crawl spaces. Getting rid of trapped water is a crucial part of this step. Most material can be dried in place in the event the water damage just occurred within the last couple of days. If there is cavities that need to be reached such as under cabinets or under stairs. Material may need to be removed to gain access to these cavities. If the water has sitting for more than 3 days then time has allowed for possible microbial growth to start growing. In this case most porous and semi-porous material that was affected will need to be removed. This would include drywall, most cabinets, and most flooring.
5. Dry Affected Structure Materials
A full and thorough drying is the next step. This involves high-powered air movers (fans), dehumidifiers, and in some situations portable heaters will be installed. It is optional depending on the loss to have plastic sheeting installed to contain the affected area to help reduce drying times.
There also can be occasions were it is needed to pull carpet and or remove baseboards in order to have a successful drying of the drywall and its interior framing. Every structure dry out time various. There are many factors that can determine the timeframe that a home or business will be fully dry and ready for rebuild. Some of these factors may include the type of home (stick build, block, concrete, etc.), the extent of the water damage, how long the structure was flooding, is the structure being occupied while being dried, how much material is being removed, is the structure being dried in place with little to no material being removed, is the equipment set up properly, is the weather outside cold, hot, humid or raining, is the building a open design such as vaulted ceilings, ect. All these factors have an affect on the length of time equipment will be onsite to dry the affected areas.
The standard dry out time that would be the best case scenario in the industry is 3 days. However in almost 90% of structures will take between 4-7 days. This doesn't mean that the full amount of equipment is installed for the the entire length of time. Each day an inspection is made and if the technician finds an area dry, he will remove the equipment that was placed in that area.
6. In-Depth Monitoring & Inspection
Monitoring is a very import part of the process during the drying phase of the affected structure. Technicians are expected to visit the property daily to inspect the progress of the moisture levels, atmospheric readings inside the affected rooms, and readings of the dehumidifiers. The tools that a technician will be utilizing are moisture meters, meter attachments, thermal hygrometers, and thermal imaging camera. There are instances were technicians will find irregularities in the moisture readings of the material in the water damaged areas. This could be materials that are not reducing in moisture levels compared to the rest of the areas. In these cases were material may not be drying at the rate they should then the proper steps are to either drill holes in the material, create a drying chamber around affected area, add additional equipment, or if possible remove the affected material.
These inspections also allow the tech if necessary to readjust equipment to increase the drying process. Visiting the site daily ensure that the moisture levels are decreasing, equipment is operating correctly, and that no damage has been missed. Technicians that are up to date with education and use the latest moisture, atmospheric and thermal imaging devices are the most likely to efficiently provide these type of services. . These inspections insure nothing is missed. Most technicians will reinspect areas to make sure no affected material was missed. This is a good practice to have, it ensures that the technician is confident with the results.
7. Areas Are Ready For Repairs
Once any necessary material is removed, all affected areas are dry. Equipment and tools have been loaded onto work truck. There is an extra step that can be performed however is not necessary. That is to seal any wood framing with Killz (paint) that may be in areas that are next to water lines, drains, or under an A/C condensation pan. This will help limit or prevent any microbial growth in the event there is another water disaster in the future.
The last step the technician should provide is a final walk through. Having a thermal imaging camera along with the walk through would be helpful to check one last time for any missed areas. Then check for any missed tools left onsite and that the areas are swept and cleaned. This will make the work area clean and ready for the repair crew.
If you’ve experienced a water related problem or a disaster at your home or business give Disaster Services a call. We are available 24 hours a day for any water related damage. We give free inspections and we’ll work directly with your insurance company. You pay no out of pocket expense when you file a claim. We also provide great prices for non insurance jobs, no matter the size.
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