Drip, Drip, Drip - You've Got Water Damage!

While floods get all the headlines, water damage affects homeowners across the nation - even in times of good weather. Your home is filled with potential sources of water damage. After all, thousands of feet of pipe circulate water through your home, to the faucets, water heater, toilets, washing machine, dishwasher, and sprinklers, as well as to and from the city water systems. Pipes rust and burst, joints fail, appliances leak, and the occasional resident forgets to turn the water off.

So, what happens when a pipe bursts or a sink overflows? A minor flood event - inside your home! Water damage sets in quickly and often continues damaging your home without your notice. While a toppled water heater will grab your attention right away, a slow leak in the basement could go undetected for months or years.

Let's look at the damage that an overflowing bathtub might cause. First, if the bathtub is located upstairs, the damage won't be contained to just the one bathroom. In fact, with the help of gravity, expect damaged ceilings, walls, carpets, cabinets, and furnishings in the room below. In the bathroom itself, water damage will affect the floor, baseboards, drywall, and cabinetry. Depending on how long the water continued flowing, water may have spread to adjacent rooms, ruining carpets, floors, walls, and electrical systems.

If something of this nature happens to you, would you know what to do? Turning off the power is the first task as the risk of electrocution should never be taken lightly. Next, turn off the water! Use absorbent towels, mops, and sponges to soak up as much water as possible. Open the windows to further ventilate the home and then call a professional. While some water damage and clean up can be a do-it-yourself job, significant flooding requires professional intervention.

Not only do you need to thoroughly dry out the home, you will need to take steps to prevent mold growth as well as repair structural damage. A professional water damage restoration company has the tools, knowledge, products, and experience to help you recover from the flooding event. Look for a company that can provide you with a prompt response because drying out your home quickly is of utmost importance in preventing further damage.

In addition to calling your local water damage professional for emergency help, call your insurance company. While you may feel foolish for leaving the water on in the tub, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that overflows, even accidental ones, are covered by your homeowners insurance.

No matter what type of water damage occurs in your home, from an unnoticed drip in the basement to a burst pipe in the kitchen, professional and prompt help is often your best choice. Depending on the nature of the water damage, repairs may even be covered by your homeowners insurance.

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Smoke And Fire Damage In Your Home - Why You Should Use The Services Of A Fire Restoration Company

If you are reading this article, your home might have been the unfortunate victim of a fire in the area. When people suffer a fire in their home, they are often hard pressed when it comes to finances and avoid using the services of a professional fire restoration company. This approach can however prove to be a costly mistake as a professional fire damage and smoke damage company will be able to save you a lot of money although they might seem like a very large unwanted expense at the beginning.

To fully understand the importance of letting professionals do the job of smoke damage cleanup or fire damage cleanup, you must first understand the various intricacies related to a fire.

Every fire is different in the sense that every house uses a different design and a different mix of construction materials which can all burn very differently. To start with, you have to understand that smoke damage can be very high even if the fire was small and contained to a very small space. This is because smoke can be absorbed by various porous construction materials such as wood, carpets, walls, ceilings and so on. There are many different types of smokes that can result out of a fire. For example, there is wet smoke, dry smoke, protein smoke and fuel oil smoke. Each type will need to be cleaned in a very different way. Smoke damage will also go hand in hand with soot damage. Soot will need to be cleaned thoroughly and materials will have to be treated with special chemicals and ozone treatments to get rid of the smoke odor which can linger for months after a fire if they are not treated.

A professional fire restoration company will usually work around the clock which means that you can call them at any time of the day to get started with your restoration work. It is very important to start early as they will be able to treat your home for smoke damage. If not treated early, the smoke can be absorbed by various parts of your house and the cleanup process will become much more drawn out when the smoke has been left unchecked for a while. Fire damage experts will also quickly be able to give you an estimate about what materials in the house can be restored and what is beyond any form of repair. They will be able to treat certain damaged materials such as scorched furniture in such a way that it can be used without having to be discarded.

Often times, fire restoration companies will also take a considerable amount of effort in cleaning up the mess left by the extinguisher which was used to put out the fire. It might be water in some cases or it could be a foam extinguisher. Regardless of the type, it will have to be cleaned up as foam can damage materials such as carpets, walls, ceilings while water can also have a very damaging effect by allowing the growth of mold.

A professional fire restoration company will also be able to assist you with those complicated insurance forms that you will have to fill out with the insurance company.

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Water Damage Restoration - What Are Your Options?

If you have been confronted by water damage in your house or commercial property, you will be best advised to hire the services of a professional fire and water restoration company. Though the restoration is something that you can achieve on your own, there is too much at risk to take it up as a do it yourself project. Here are some highlights about the services that a well established fire and water restoration company will be able to provide.

• Available 24/7 - The best fire and water restoration companies will operate throughout the day and night. Time is of the essence when it comes to water damage restoration and lost time will often result in dramatically increased losses and additional restoration expenses. Shut off the water supply that caused the flooding and call a professional water damage repair company as soon as you can


• Expert help with insurance claims - The fire and water control and clean-up company is more than just a professional service to restore your home. The restoration company will often award you an insurance specialist who will help you with the insurance claims process along the way. Ideally, claiming insurance should be easy for homeowners who have suffered property damage although the reality is that the insurance company will do anything to give you a check with a lower amount than required. Having professional help in the form of an insurance specialist will save you a lot of stress and effort and will also get you that check that will cover all the restoration expenses.


• Professional equipment - restoration companies will have several commercial grade machines such as dehumidifiers, blowers, truck mounted water extraction units, portable water extraction units, moisture gauges, humidity gauges and so on that will help them remove the water and restore your property in the fastest way possible. If you approached the process on your own, it will take you a very long time as you will generally have just one dehumidifier or just one blower which might not even be powerful enough to do the job in the first place.


• Technical know how - This is where water damage control and clean-up companies offers the most value. It will take you several hours of research and learning to figure out the best restoration plan for you house while a professional restoration company will often have years of experience on their hands. Their experience and their expertise will allow them to immediately go to work on restoring your property in the most time efficient and cost efficient manner. They will also be able to advise you about potential problems with the construction of your house that might lead to future water damage problems.

Thus, in conclusion, it is advised that you call for the services of a water damage restoration company if you haven't done so already. The sooner your call, the lesser your losses will be. Water damage restoration companies will also guarantee you that their repair estimates will be accepted by the insurance company which means that you have almost nothing to lose by hiring professionals.

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Hire a Professional Fire Damage Cleanup to Restore Your Home

After your house, or a part of it, has been razed and damaged by fire, cleaning and restoring it back to its former glory will be your main concern. However, most homeowners find the task extremely time-consuming, stressful, and dangerous that they would rather hire a professional fire damage cleanup expert to do the job instead.

Repairing and restoring your home back to a habitable state depends on the extent of the damage to your home. Some homes only need a few days of work while severe structural damages take several months to accomplish. With the help of a team of experienced professionals, repairing a fire damaged home is always easier.

Don't be Tempted to do it Yourself, Hire an Expert

You might be tempted by the idea of cleaning the fire damage in your home by yourself. However, doing so can worsen the fire and water damage and even threaten your health. When determining the best way to deal with cleaning fire damage in homes, it can be helpful to know some of the best options available to you.

Perhaps the best thing that you could do after a house fire is to enlist the service of a professional restoration company. Since they are expert in this kind of work, they could surely take good care of your home's cleanup, repair, and restoration in no time.

Choose expert cleanup professional

When hiring for fire cleanup damage, be sure to hire a team who holds impeccable reputation and shows pertinent license, experience, skills, and equipment that will help them perform their task and restore your home back to its former glory.

The SOP after fire damage is to conduct a fire damage assessment to find out the extent of the damage and to plan out the necessary steps to be taken for a successful cleanup. Most of the time fire cleanup professionals begin by taking away the excess moisture as soon as detected. Failure in this aspect will make your home susceptible to the growth of mold and mildew, which in turn makes it a breeding ground for diseases that could harm the health of your family.

Stop Fire Damage from Destroying your Home

Though you can't prevent fire from razing your home, the good thing is you could stop fire damage from further eating up your house with the help of a professional restoration company. Now, restoring your home from fire damage should no longer be a serious cause of concern since there's a team of professionals that are willingly offering their hands for your home's benefit. This does not only unburden you from the heavy responsibility of cleaning, disinfecting, and repairing your home. It also saves you time and money in the long run, especially if your homeowner's insurance is generous enough to cover the cost for you.

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Water Damage - 4 Signs That You May Have It

When homes suffer from water damage they benefit from specific restoration. While water damage from natural disasters or floods may look devastating, some things can usually be restored if they are not damaged too badly. On the other hand, there may be some items that are too badly damaged to be repaired or restored.

It is not very often however, that there is nothing salvageable, and in some instances homes can be restored back to their former glory. By calling on the help of water clean-up experts and professionals, it is possible that repairs and restoration can be carried out, so that items such as furniture, carpets and even personal items like photographs and documents are not completely lost. This article describes the signs to look for when it comes to water damage in the home, and when it may be necessary for professional help to be obtained.

Stains: One of the biggest water damage indicators are brownish stains on ceilings and walls. This is usually an indication that water has been constantly running or dripping, which could mean that there is a leak. It could also be an indication of standing water due to rain, as is the case very often when it comes to flat roofs or blocked gutters. Whatever the cause, a brown stain is not good news, and it should be checked out as soon as possible and the leak located and repaired.

Warped floors and sagging ceilings: Either of these problems will generally mean that there is a leak. In this instance it is imperative to get the problem checked out by a professional, as ceilings could collapse due to a weakened structure. If a ceiling is sagging due to a leak from the roof or attic space, a temporary solution is to poke small holes through the ceiling so that the excess water can drain away; reducing the chances of the ceiling collapsing because of the waters weight.

Wet or damp carpets and rugs: Although rugs and carpets are easy to replace, standing water and damp areas are mold magnets, which can ultimately cause severe health problems for the inhabitants of the home. While some mold can be relatively easy to remove, other strains will need to be treated by the experts. It is important that if restoration is to work the water damage source is located and water damage repair carried out, which can sometimes mean that professional advice should be sought.

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Disaster Recovery - Water Damage Classifications

Water damage is caused by a number of things including flooding, burst or leaky pipes, fire hoses, and regular humidity. Water damage is typically very severe because it impacts every aspect of your home. It can rots the wood in your floors, furniture and walls. It can rust the steel and other metal items. It can de-laminate plywood. It can completely ruin important documents, family photos and memorabilia.

To protect your home from water damage you must first understand the various types of water and the damage it can cause. The three classifications of water that causes damages are Clean, Grey and Black.

Clean Water

This type of water damage does not pose a health risk to humans and is really just incredibly annoying. An overflowing sink or tub or leaky appliance are examples of Clean Water damages.

Grey Water

This type refers to water that contains degrees of chemical, biological or physical contaminants. This can lead to sickness in humans and animals if consumed or exposed. Toilet bowls, dishwashers and washing machine leaks are the most common kinds of Grey Water.

Black Water

This classification contains highly unsanitary agents such as bacteria and fungus which can lead to severe illness. This classification is most rare and comes mainly from sewage, seawater, and contaminated river or stream water.

Water Damage Restoration

Water damage restoration techniques vary greatly depending on the water classification. It is important to know what classification of water you are dealing with before you attempt any restoration projects. If you suspect the water to be of either Grey or Black classification, contact your state environmental protection agency or the water bureau to have your home evaluated.
There are primarily two good techniques used to restore water damaged materials (documents, photos, books, etc).

Desiccant Dehumidification

This restoration process removes moisture from the air quickly and safely, effectively salvaging important documents and helping prevent mold growth. The process involves dehumidifying the air surrounding the damaged documents or personal effect, allowing the water molecules trapped in the damaged items to escape into the air. Desiccant dehumidification is a great restoration option available through some document reprocessing services. It is especially beneficial for businesses and government agencies because the process allows for documents to be accessible for use throughout the process should the need arise.

Freeze-Drying

This process is best for books, binders, and any bound printed matter. Freeze-drying restoration works on a similar premise as dehumidification but in a contained chamber and at much lower temperature. If you can, find a service that offers vacuum freeze-drying as this process will not warp the way regular freeze-drying can.

Time is of the essence when it comes to water damage. Starting the process of restoring your assets as soon as possible will increase the likelihood that your items can be restored to a usable state again. Additionally, mold can quickly become a secondary effect of water damage if time is allowed to pass. To help move quickly after a flood or other water damage, have an emergency plan in place ahead of time.

Water damage has the potential to ruin an entire business or home. Pre-planning and education coupled with a fast-acting, properly equipped damage recovery team can make all the difference in your life returning back to normal.

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Why Restoration Services Should Be Done Immediately

Hiring a restoration service as soon as you possibly can after your home has been damaged can be important for many different reasons. It could mean the difference between keeping your house and not keeping it. You shouldn't let water or fire damage sit for too long for safety reasons to your health, and because the integrity of the home can suffer greatly shortly after the damage has been left. Water damage should especially be treated immediately after it occurs because of the complications that arise quickly after a flood has happened.

If you leave water sit in your home, it can ruin the wood, foundation, structure, and livability of your home in a hurry. Drywall is easily ruined by water damage, so getting it removed and replaced to prevent the spread of dampness and mold is very important. Mold can ruin a home and be very unhealthy to breathe on a day-to-day basis, so this is the main reason why when you have water damage that you should get it fixed immediately.

Fire damage and smoke damage can be very serious to a home. As soon as you can, you should call a restoration service to assess the damage that has been done, and get them to fix it as soon as you can. You shouldn't leave your home damaged after any event if you want your house to maintain its integrity. Time is really the most important thing when it comes to fire and water damage to your home. Even after a fire is put out, or water is removed, it can still be damaging your house in ways that you cannot see, so be sure to get things fixed and back to normal in a timely manner.

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Things You Might Have Not Known About Water Damage Cleanup - Leave It to the Professionals

A lot of homeowners think that water damage control to their property is something that they can easily fix on their own. They assume that the water control is a simple process that will involve pumping out the water and drying out the area.

Though a flood cleanup contractor will employ the same principle in their control process, there are several finer details that can easily be missed out by homeowners. Some of them are mentioned below.

If you did not know about any of the following details, it is best that you let a commercial flood cleanup contractor carry out your basement flood clean or other water damage cleanup.

Types of water categories that can cause damage

There are 4 different categories of water that can cause damage. Category 1 is water that is pretty safe. Examples of this water are water from a broken pipe or a broken sink valve. Category 2 is water that contains some levels of harmful matter such as chemical pollutants or biological contaminants. This is also popularly known as grey water. Examples of water that belong to this category are water from toilets that will have urine in them. Water from the sumps will sometimes flood a house due to machinery malfunction and this would also be water control that will be categorized as 2. The last category which is the worst form of water that can cause damage will be category 3 or what is called as black water.

This is water that has high levels of bacteria, fungi and other microbes that can cause severe health problems. Water from sewages or natural sources such as rivers and streams are perfect examples of category 3 water. Only a commercial flood cleanup contractor will know how to tackle each category of water damage in the most appropriate manner possible. For example, he will use EPA approved chemicals in the water damage cleanup process where category 3 water might have been involved.

Types or intensity of damage that can be caused by water

There are 4 classes of water damage, with 1 being the least damaging while 4 is the worst kind of water damage that can be sustained by a property. Class 1 is when there is very little carpet and other porous materials that are affected. Class 2 water damage is when there is a considerable amount of carpet that is affected. A class 1 and class 2 cleanup is often used for a basement flood cleanup as there are no carpets or little carpet used in the construction of a basement. In addition to carpet, other porous construction materials such as wood, particle board and even plywood can be affected by moisture.

Class 3 is when the water has a very fast evaporation rate and when it can affect the ceilings, walls, flood, sub floor and even the insulation of a particular room. Class 4 is the worst form of water damage where even non porous materials such as hardwood, plaster, brick and even concrete are affected by stagnated water. Class 3 and 4 will require heavy duty water damage control that can be carried out only by an expert flood cleanup contractor.

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Fire Flames and Fire Damage Repair

Fire damage is the worst thing that can happen to your house. Even the smallest of flames can cause the biggest of damages. Fire flames devour everything in their way and reduce it to ashes. What the fire cannot consume, it renders useless and deformed. Escaping from a fire at house, industrial area, commercial building or a social center with no loss of life is a great achievement.

However, the fire leaves behind it a big black mass of nothingness. It leaves behind it a trail of insurance papers, payments, and letters to authorities and of course the most daunting task of repairs. It includes the damage caused by fire to items of the household and the structure of the building and the damage caused by smoke. While in efforts to put out the fire, the damage caused by water pressure is also treated as fire damage repair.

Damage repair caused by fire is a very complicated and lengthy procedure. Fire causes damage to infra and extra-structure of the house. Everything from walls, woodwork, windows, flooring, lighting, furniture, clothes and electronics are not only damaged but rendered useless. In most of the cases, repair requires stripping off the entire building to the basic of structures and then rebuilding it. It is also very important to check if the fire has caused foundations of the building any damage before beginning to re-construct. Also, the pillars, beams and other supporting structures should be tested for their strength before reconstruction.

Smoke further complicates the procedure of repairs. The damaged building tends to smolder and produce smoke for days after the actual fire breaks out. This smoke not only harms the building, but even if the damage is very small, it causes inconvenience to the people living around. The smoke produced as a result of burning fire or extinguished fire never stays in one place. If only a small area is damaged, the smoke spreads out to cooler areas and upper floors. It also gets into the ventilation system, air conditioning, plumbing and spreads to other areas of the building. It is very hard to get rid of its smell from the things that have been exposed to smoke. Fire damage repair includes the cleanup of such smoke affected items and areas as well.

Water is used to put out fires that erupt on a large scale. Even small fires can be put out very effectively with water. However, by doing so, a lot of damaged is caused to the building by the water pressure. Also, when the water combines with ashes, a black mud-like matter sets in. It covers every surface and is very hard to cleanup and get rid of.

Apart from damage to property and loss of things, fire damage also disrupts the life and routine of the affected. It is crucial that the fire damage repair be carried out efficiently and effectively to restore order to life at its soonest.

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An Explanation of the IICRC Water Damage Classification Used in Flood Restoration

The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) is one of the largest non-government organizations in the United States that sets standards for people in the field of flood restoration. Among its many contributions to the fields of inspection and cleaning, the IICRC has created a Water Damage Classification (WDC) system, to better assist the treatment of damage in buildings or homes that have been overexposed to water. In the event that your home is damaged and needs to undergo flood restoration, it is important that you understand the WDC, as doing so will allow you to be aware of the potential threats to your property.

The WDC is broken down into four classes, each one determined by the volume of water present in a designated area. These grades go from 1 to 4, with 4 having the most severe consequences in regards to property deterioration and potential health threats.

Class 1: Limited Intrusion

A minimal amount of liquid has been introduced into the area. The area might also have a high potential for evaporation, with little extenuating damage to furniture, walls, carpet, and carpet cushions. For some Class 1 situations, it might be possible to dry out the area with fans.

Class 2: Some spread

This grade indicates that some moisture has spread beyond a single spot in the room. It might have risen into the walls, where it can be absorbed into the insulation or structural materials, such as timber, concrete, or particleboard. It might also have been absorbed into the padding beneath the carpet or flooring. These areas have the potential to grow mold or other growths if left unchecked.

Class 3: Invasive Liquid

In this grade, most surfaces in the area, including walls, ceilings, flooring, and furniture, have been soaked with moisture. Lines or marks on the walls indicating moisture can be found more than 2 feet above the floor. Damage like this is often caused by burst plumbing in a second-floor room leaking into the ceiling or through the walls. In cases like this, it is sometimes necessary to remove some of the building materials, as the extensive damage will render them irreparable. Special drying and dehumidification equipment will be required to return some remaining stuffs to their pre-damage state.

Class 4: Inaccessible Material

In some cases, flooding to the area is so severe that items not normally exposed or accessible are saturated with liquid. This makes it extremely difficult or impossible for traditional flood restoration techniques to save these materials. Special drying and dehumidification equipment, as well as more advanced techniques, can sometimes be used to dry components in crawl-spaces, under oil-based paint, behind cabinets, etc. It is also sometimes the case that these materials are not salvageable.

In addition to assessing the severity of damage in a location, an inspector must also determine the quality of the liquid permeating the area. "Clean Water" is much easier to address than a situation with "Black Water," or water that can contain potentially life-threatening organisms. The presence of Black Water might affect your space's grading.

After an inspector has assessed the nature of the damage to your property and belongings, he or she will work with a team of certified IICRC-certified technicians to begin bringing your home back to its original state. They will use everything from old-fashioned scrubbing to microbial remediation to rid the space of moisture and any potentially threatening organisms. The IICRC's WDC grading will help make this an easier process, should your home ever need flood restoration.

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