What To Do in a Water Emergency

3/23/2017 (Permalink)

Before you start to row your boat, follow these tips and call us!

It happens when you least expect it.  You take the steps to the basement, and when your foot hits the floor, you step onto wet carpet. Yuck. You have no idea where the water is coming from, or how long it’s been there.

 But, after the initial shock and confusion, you may find yourself asking, “What do I do now?”. The following steps can help you navigate the process of managing a water loss in a quick, effective manor, reducing the amount of damage to your home, and keeping overall cost to you as low as possible.

Stopping The Source

Stopping the flow of water is the first step to getting on the right track. Shutting off the water to the appliance or area that is leaking is important to being able to fix the leak. If you are able, shut the water off to this area, or to the whole house if you are unsure of where the water is coming from.

Once the leak is identified, or even if you are unsure of the cause, calling a Licensed Plumber to identify and fix the problem is highly advisable. This ensures that the leak is fixed correctly, and/or that the appliance in question is properly repaired or replaced.

Keeping Damages to a Minimum

Once any amount of water has leaked into your home, there will be damage. However, you can keep this damage to a minimum by calling SERVPRO as soon as possible. The sooner we arrive, the sooner we can begin to clean up and minimize the damage, potentially saving you thousands of dollars in home repairs.

Also, the less time the water spends saturating the materials in your home, the lower the likelihood is that your home will develop mold and microbial growth.

Sewage

Water leaking into your home is never desirable. Sewage leaking into your home can be considered a nightmare, especially when it affects a large area or multiple levels in your house. Exposed Sewage can create a risk of mold and microbial growth, as well as illness for those in the home. Prompt clean up and neutralization of contaminates is the first priority.

When sewage backs up through drains or toilets, the first thing to do is call a Licensed Plumber, or your city Water and Sewer Provider. Finding the source, and ensuring that there is not another sewage loss in your home is key to preventing multiple mitigations from being needed, and ultimately keeps the cost to you to a minimum.

Mitigation

Once SERVPRO is on site, an initial assessment will be made of the damages and projected time needed to dry the structure. Also, an assessment will be made of the materials affected, and it will be determined if those materials can be dried, or will need to be removed.

If your contents, such as furniture, boxes, clothing, and decorative items cannot remain in place while drying, SERVPRO provides moving and pack out services for on site or off site storage while mitigation is taking place.

The average mitigation takes about 3 days, but could take less or more time depending on the level of saturation and the scale of the loss.

SERVPRO Technicians and Crew Chiefs use a variety of equipment and tools to ensure proper drying, included but not limited to Dehumidifiers, Air Mover Fans, and Non-Invasive Moisture Monitors.

After Mitigation

Once ensuring that your home has met dry standard, SERVPRO Crew Chiefs and Technicians will remove all equipment and remove any items brought into your home. If materials have been removed, SERVPRO will be happy to refer you to a Contractor for rebuild services.

If no rebuild is needed, you should be able to return to normal life in a clean dry home.

These steps can help guide you through the stressful time of water loss in your home.

Feel free to call SERVPRO at any times with questions about mitigation, water damage, or clean up services.

Water damage is never pleasant, but with SERVPRO you can assure a professional and quality cleanup.