How Should You Go About Restoring a Flood-Damaged Property?

9/28/2017 (Permalink)

How Should You Go About Restoring a Flood-Damaged Property?

Flood damage is among the most serious misfortunes that can befall a home or business. While many property owners fear damage from high winds or fire more, flood damage is often the most insidious form of property damage because it can destroy a property, even when apparently little water is involved.

For this reason, it is crucial that any time a homeowner suspects that water damage may be occurring, they need to call in a professional restoration company as soon as possible. A professional water cleanup team has the training, experience and necessary equipment to tackle any case of water damage.

Over the decades, a well-established and proven process for dealing with water damage has emerged. This involves a set procedure that every professional restoration company is adept at carrying out. If this protocol can begin being effected on a flooded home or business within the first 24 hours of water damage taking place, the mitigation and restoration efforts will almost always be 100 percent successful. However, waiting longer than 24 hours to begin the water cleanup and flood damage mitigation process will result in the chances of lasting water damage going up significantly with each passing hour.

The water cleanup process


Any time a property owner notices water in their business or water in their home, it is imperative to recognize the situation as potentially being serious. Experts say that as little as a single gallon of water can lead to mold formation and reduction in the structural integrity of building components.

This is why the first step, upon noticing water in a home or water in a business, is always to call in a professional restoration company.

The water cleanup team arrives on the scene


The next step in the flood damage mitigation and restoration process is the arrival of restoration company team on the premises. The team will typically arrive within 30 minutes of the call being placed. They will immediately enter the flooded home or business, assessing the severity of the water in the business or water in the home and forming a game plan of how to best handle the situation.

Any active leaks coming from the original pipe break or supply line break will be taken care of. The area around the original pipe break or supply line break will also be closely inspected to make sure that no water has accumulated out of view. If the original supply line break or pipe break is severe, the team will use sophisticated equipment, such as hygrometers and infrared detectors, to determine where water may have seeped in and around the original source of the leak.

Full-scale water removal begins


The next step is the wholesale removal of standing water in the business or water in the home. The flooded home will be set upon by the team with industrial vacuum equipment that is capable of removing up to 2,000 gallons of standing water each hour.

This part of the restoration and mitigation process usually only takes a few minutes. Once complete, there will be no standing water in the flooded home or business, and it may even look largely restored, at least to the untrained eye.

The drying process beings


The next step in the restoration process is the drying of the structure. This is carried out using industrial drying equipment that only professionals have access to. Special care will be taken to completely dry out the area around the original supply line break or pipe break, ensuring that water has no opportunity to fester.

Once completed, the drying phase will mark the point at which the structure is no longer at risk of incurring further damage.

The final cleansing


The last step in the process is to completely cleanse all furniture, surfaces and fixtures. This ensures that mold and foul odors will be removed from the home or business.
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