If you’ve recently experienced a burst pipe or flood situation in your home, you may be wondering what to do. The first and most important thing for you to do is find the source of the leak and turn it off. If you cannot do this, call a professional plumber or local water supply company for assistance. Once your active leaks have been dealt with, it is extremely important that you call a professional water damage cleanup company to begin the process as soon as possible. Here are some of the things a water damage cleanup service will do for you.
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Inspection
When the professionals arrive at your home, the first thing they will do is inspect and evaluate the damage. A water mitigation contractor will have special tools and instruments to measure the moisture content of the home. They may perform this task by poking or resting the instruments on top of surfaces such as floors, baseboards, and ceilings in the damaged rooms to make sure their readings are accurate. Based on certain standards of the area you live in and their readings, the contractor will assess if drying equipment is needed.
Preventing Further Flood Damage
The reason why water damage cleanup companies should be notified immediately is because the longer water damage is untreated, the greater damage can occur. If drying equipment is needed, dehumidifiers will be placed in the home to prevent mould growth and further damage. During this time, the restoration contractor typically waits for approval from the insurance company. Depending on the source of the leak and the amount of time the water has been present, the contractor will decide how long the dehumidifiers need to be on.
Water Removal
Water removal is one of the most important steps in the restoration process. Surprisingly, it is much less complicated than you may think. Professional water damage cleanup companies use expensive shop vacuums and rotate them around the room, sucking in all the water that is present in an area. The length of time it takes to complete this process all depends on the type of substrate being dried, the room size, and the volume of water that is present.
Drying Out the Home
Once the standing water has been removed, the professionals will begin drying out the home. They utilize different types of air movers to circulate airflow through the room and dry up the remaining water. They may need to lift up some carpet or position the air movers at certain sections of the walls—this is done to ensure that air is getting to the most saturated parts of the room. For hardwood floors, contractors may use special floor mats that can draw the water out. They may also need to remove the baseboards and drill holes in the drywall to aid the drying and evaporation process.
Containment
The containment process happens at the same time as the drying process. During this time, wet areas are taped off to concentrate the heat and suction to the rooms that need the most drying. The purpose of containment is also to prevent cross-contamination from affected areas to unaffected areas.
Monitoring
The monitoring process may also overlap with the drying process. Crews may stop by periodically to monitor how well the drying process is going. They may examine the dehumidifiers’ intake and output temperatures, and humidity levels to make sure they are not putting wet air out into the room. They may take readings of the same surfaces as they did from the beginning to see how much moisture is in the area.
Completion
Once the home is fully dried, the water damage cleanup process is complete. From here, the drying equipment will be removed from the home, and the contractor will speak with you to make sure you are satisfied with their work. After all of this, if additional structural repairs are needed, a general contractor will repair such damages that drying was unable to resolve.
Contact Flood Services Canada for Water Damage Repair
In the event of water damage, such as a basement flood, it is always best to call a professional water damage restoration company as soon as possible. Water damage restoration done by the experts will save you time, and provide effective solutions to limit any additional damage to your home. It also saves you money in the long-term because the job will be done right the first time. Flood Services Canada offers advanced, professional water damage repair and cleanup and will drain, dry, extract, and salvage as much as possible to minimize or eliminate any lasting damage. Contact us at (416) 302-2107 to learn more about our services, or use our emergency hotline at (416) 999-3930 to get our rapid-response teams deployed to your location.
