If your home and business ever experience water damage, it’s best not to DIY and let the experts undergo their process. But what is this process, and what happens when there’s water damage in a confined space? Read on to find out.
What Exactly Is Water Damage Restoration?
Water damage restoration is the overall process of returning a property to its state before there is any water damage. Water damage restoration doesn’t require certification, but it’s best done by an expert company that is equipped with the right tools and knowledge to do everything seamlessly, as the process consists of inspection, extraction, dehumidification, sanitation and reconstruction if required.
Why is Water Damage Restoration Important?
Structural damage can be caused by prolonged water damage, and if left untreated this can cause expensive repairs to occur after the fact, as walls, floors and ceilings can collapse due to water damage.
In addition to the above, ignoring water damage, or letting it sit for too long can cause long-term health issues from the spread of mold, pests and bacteria. Overall, if you don’t respond to mold fast enough you can end up with worse issues than just water damage, not to mention the smell of lingering dampness that occurs.
What are the Major Causes of Water Damage?
Knowing what caused the issue is just the first step to solving it, and this is the same when you call the experts in water damage restoration in Orlando. The first thing they will do is to inspect the property, which will find the main cause.
Some common causes of water damage usually include the following:
- Air conditioning unit failures or condensation.
- Natural disasters and heavy rain or storms.
- Rubber/PVC water supply lines.
- Clogged drains and gutters.
- Broken household appliances.
- Inefficient roof water drainage.
- Inoperative or broken sump pumps.
- Water overflows from toilets.
- Damaged sprinkler systems and piping.
- Burst or leaking pipes.
- Old or faulty water heaters.
- Septic tank and sewerage issues.
Water damage can be hard to find the source of, as water is a fluid and it moves from the source rapidly, which can cause issues if you try to DIY the process. This is the main reason why you should always call the experts, they’re always more likely to find the main source and treat the real issue.
What are the Signs of Water Damage?
If you suspect water damage and want to call the experts in, there are some tell-tale signs that something’s gone wrong. So if you see any of the following signs, it’s most likely water damage and you should call the experts.
Common signs of water damage:
- Swollen or warped materials, including walls or ceilings.
- Cracks in the ceiling or walls.
- Peeling or bubbling paint.
- Musty, damp and unpleasant odours.
- Soft spots or sagging in walls, floors or ceilings.
- Structural damage.
- Puddles of water pooling.
- Mold, mildew and bacteria.
- Water stains or materials.
Water Damage Restoration Process
Now that you understand how to see the signs of water damage, and how the experts will find the root cause of the water damage, it’s time to look into the overall process of water damage remediation.
Some experts will use different steps, but this is the most common step taken to complete water damage repairs.
Step 1: Water Damage Inspection
A water damage inspection is conducted by specialists to come up with some key information, which includes the following: identification of the water source, the water contamination category and the water damage class.
As we said earlier, the water source is incredibly important to finding the root cause of water damage and preventing it from happening again. Something to consider is that you may have many different entry points for water damage, and this is especially the case in flooding or storm damage.
Once the water source is identified and stopped, the experts will identify the water contamination category.
Step 2: Remove any Standing Water
The next step is to remove standing or stagnant water. This is done by extraction, and this includes industrial vacuums and submersible pumps being used to move the water. Once the standing water is removed, surface water can be extracted through wet/dry vacuums. The specialist may also decide to use infrared or thermal cameras to find other standing water that may be behind walls or under floorboards.
Step 3: Dry and dehumidify Affected Spaces
As water extraction is rarely enough to fully dry space, the experts will bring in specialized equipment such as heavy-duty fans and commercial-grade dehumidifiers to dry and dehumidify affected areas. It’s important to note that drying and dehumidification is a longer process, especially if the water damage you have is class 3 or 4 and furniture and walls are affected.
Step 4.: Sanitize and Clean Areas
This is a vital part of the cleaning process, and you’ll be likely to notice the experts start wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as goggles masks, gloves and protective clothing, and this is to safeguard themselves as they start sanitizing your space. To do this they use things such as a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum, an air scrubber and other such negative air machines to complete sanitation. Occasionally, the surfaces will need to be cleaned with an antimicrobial solution.
Step 5: Repair and Reconstruct (if Needed)
In the last step, the experts will start removing unsalvageable parts, and this includes trim boards, drywall and carpets. Although you may think carpets can be dry cleaned, they may need to be replaced if the damage is too vast. This goes for the trip and drywall. But it’s important to remember that if the damage is class 3 or 4 repairs may not be possible and replacement may need to be done, especially if there’s contamination or a natural disaster has occurred.
Why Call Experts for Water Damage?
When looking at the above, you may be tempted to rent out the equipment and start DIY-ing the process, but there are some incredibly important reasons as to why you should avoid this.
Get Back To Your Daily Life Sooner
Water damage doesn’t just cause damage to your home, it also confuses your routine, as it disrupts your daily life quite a lot. If you try to DIY, this disruption can last weeks, but if you call the experts, they come in, clean and disinfect areas usually within the same day, or within a week at most, unless things are very badly damaged. This means you can get back to your daily life sooner, without any corners cut.
Prevent Ongoing Mold
Mold is often found wherever water damage is. As mold spores can be bad for health, smell bad and also just make your space look cheap, it’s important to actually fix the issue as well as the cause of the issue. If you don’t fix the mold correctly, it can keep coming back indefinitely.
Minimize Expenses
Water damage if bad enough and if ever left to sit, can take a huge toll on your expenses. Even if you have insurance, you may still have out-of-pocket expenses if you don’t immediately call in the right people. The experts will fix the issue in one go, and won’t drag the issue out.
Offer Expert Advice & Solutions
When it comes to water damage, there are many things to consider. There are hazards, classes of damage to manage and hidden ramifications that you may not know about. So it’s in your best interest to leave it to the experts.
Handle Documentation & Insurance Assistance
When you choose an expert water damage company, you’re likely to find the insurance claim process much easier. This is because the insurance company is more likely to trust a third party than they are you. So the photos and report done by the water damage company will make it more likely that your claim will be approved.
They Can Eliminate the Health Risks
Water can bring harmful bacteria and harmful mold health issues into your home. This can be a huge threat to your family’s health, especially if you have children or elderly people at home. By working with professionals, you can have peace of mind that your home is safe to live in.
They Have The Right Tools
The expertise that water damage professionals have is only second to their equipment. This equipment is expensive to rent or buy, and hard to use and maintain correctly, so don’t waste your money on things you don’t know how to use or don’t need to use again, and call the experts, they come with cool gadgets after all.
It’s Less Work For You Overall
Cleaning up after water damage is difficult work. There are things to do from removing flooring, reupholstering, using industrial vacuums on every single fabric in the home, dry cleaning and more to be done. If you try to DIY, you may need a month to get everything done, but the experts can just do it faster and more efficiently.
Now that you understand why the experts are an absolute necessity when it comes to safe and efficient water damage repairs, all you have to do is contact the best in the business, Flood Pro’s USA, https://www.floodprosusa.com and let them do the hard work for you!
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