Dealing with water damage is a tedious task, so you’re left with a choice to either handle this yourself or hire a professional water damage restoration company. Along with this, you’d have to think if it is worthwhile to hire a professional or not, right? Our team wrote this article to give you reliable water damage restoration tips. We got this content from our experience and knowledge in the field.
We want to help you make the right decision in dealing with water damage. By reading this article, you’ll be better prepared to resolve your water damage concerns and understand the complete water damage restoration process.
What You Must Consider for Water Damage Restoration?
When do you need to hire a professional for your water damage? This is a tricky question since it hits your comfort zone, right? Water damage cleanup and repairs require careful consideration. The thought of doing it gives you a headache already, right?
Before you call a professional, here are some factors you need to look into for resolving your water damage problems.
Types of Water
Different kinds of water sources create flooding in your home or office. Knowing these types will help you decide if you handle the situation or need professional restoration services.
Clean Water: This type comes from rainwater on your roof or a burst pipe. Clean water doesn’t contain harmful chemicals and bacteria that threaten your health. If this is the kind of water flooding your floors, you might handle the water damage by yourself with proper equipment.
Gray Water: This comes from your leaking dishwasher or washing machines. Gray water also originates from toilets. Compared to clean water, this one is dirtier since it contains more bacteria and contaminants that require professional water extraction.
Black Water: This is the most dangerous water type since it contains numerous bacteria and harmful chemicals. Black water typically comes from sewer backups or overflowing rivers. This contaminated water poses serious health risks and requires immediate professional intervention.
The Volume of Water
If the amount of standing water flooding your home reaches your foot or ankle level, you might handle basic water removal yourself. However, if the water level reaches your knee, that requires professional water damage restoration services. Hiring professionals becomes crucial for your health and safety when dealing with significant water intrusion.
Standing water creates multiple problems beyond immediate flooding. It seeps into porous materials like drywall, insulation, and wooden structures. The longer water sits, the more structural damage occurs to your property.
The Extent of Water Damage
Do you see live electrical wires damaged by the flood? Perhaps a portion of the walls is likely to collapse? If you notice life-threatening conditions, your best solution is to hire a water damage restoration service immediately.
Severe water damage often involves electrical hazards that pose immediate dangers. Water damage assessment requires checking for compromised electrical systems, weakened structural elements, and contaminated materials.
There are instances when dangerous substances get damaged or spilled when your house floods. If you see signs of this, don’t hesitate to call a professional restoration company like Royal Restoration.
5 Essential Water Damage Restoration Tips
Always prioritize your safety first before jumping into repairing those leaking pipes. Inspection and assessment of water damage in your house helps you decide whether to call professionals or handle the situation independently. Here are the top 5 water damage restoration tips you need to consider.
1. Look Out for Damaged Electrical Connections
Take note that water conducts electricity, so live electrical wires touching flood water create electrical hazards that threaten your life. Safety must be your top priority during any water emergency. Check if any live circuitry touches the flood water. To avoid electrocution, turn off the main power supply of your house immediately.
Electrical hazards remain present even after initial flooding subsides. Water seeping into wall cavities reaches electrical outlets, switches, and wiring systems. Professional restoration services include electrical safety assessments to ensure your property is safe before beginning the restoration process.
2. Remove All Standing Water Immediately
The next step involves removing all excess standing water flooding your floors. You need proper extraction units for effective water removal. Sump pumps and submersible water pumps work effectively for water extraction from your house. This is a standard procedure in the water damage restoration process.
Speed matters when dealing with water emergency situations. Every hour that stagnant water remains in your house increases the risk of structural damage and mold growth. Professional restoration company services use industrial-grade extraction units to remove water quickly and thoroughly.
Water cleanup involves more than removing visible standing water. Hidden moisture trapped in walls, under floors, and within porous materials requires specialized equipment to extract completely.
3. Remove Water-Damaged Items and Materials
Once the floors are clear of flood water, start removing all items with water damage. Place damaged materials in a dry, clean space for cleaning and disinfection. After that, let them air dry for several hours with proper ventilation.
Porous materials like carpets, upholstery, and certain furniture absorb water quickly and harbor bacteria. These materials often require professional cleaning or replacement to prevent health issues. Carpets exposed to contaminated water usually need complete replacement.
Wood materials react differently to water exposure. Hardwood floors might warp or buckle, while wooden furniture swells and develops mildew. Quick action helps minimize permanent damage to these valuable items.
4. Address Mold Growth Prevention
Mold becomes your next concern after flooding. According to Angi, mold growth begins rapidly after water damage occurs, making early detection and removal of contaminated items essential to reduce health risks associated with mold development in your home. This fungus grows in moist, dark, affected areas. Mold growth poses serious health risks to you and your family. When you inhale mold spores, you experience constant sneezing, watery eyes, and coughing. This creates particular problems for people with lung conditions.
Mold growth begins within 24-48 hours after water intrusion. The restoration process must include thorough drying of all affected areas to prevent mold growth. Professional restoration services use specialized drying equipment and moisture meters to ensure complete moisture removal.
Mildew and mold thrive in humid conditions. Circulate air throughout affected areas using fans and dehumidifiers. Open windows when the weather permits to increase ventilation and reduce humidity levels.
Royal Restoration provides comprehensive mold remediation services to clean and disinfect mold infestations in your home. We handle this problem after completing water damage restoration to ensure your property returns to its pre-loss condition.
5. Professional Assessment and Documentation
Contact at least three to five water damage restoration companies before choosing the best one for your needs. We understand you want to compare options to pick the most suitable restoration company. Here are factors to consider when evaluating restoration services:
Years of experience in the restoration industry
Company profile and certifications
Water damage restoration cost quotation
Technology and equipment used
Customer reviews and testimonials
Referrals from previous clients
Office location and response time
When choosing dependable professionals, ask specific questions about their restoration process. If they provide detailed and sensible answers, that’s a positive indicator of their expertise.
Advanced Water Damage Restoration Considerations
Understanding the Complete Restoration Process
The water damage restoration process involves multiple phases beyond initial water removal. Professional restoration company services follow industry standards to restore your property to its pre-loss condition.
Water damage assessment begins with identifying the water source and stopping continued water intrusion. Professionals then categorize the contamination level and determine appropriate restoration methods.
Drying represents a critical phase requiring specialized equipment. Industrial dehumidifiers, air movers, and moisture detection tools ensure complete moisture removal from walls, ceilings, and other materials.
Dealing with Insurance Claims
Your insurance company plays a vital role in covering water damage restoration costs. Proper documentation of damage helps support your claim and ensures adequate coverage for restoration and repairs.
Natural disasters and sudden events like burst pipe incidents typically receive coverage under standard homeowner policies. However, gradual damage from leaking water heaters or washing machines might face different coverage terms.
Health and Safety Protocols
Personal protective equipment becomes essential when handling contaminated water and damaged materials. Professionals use appropriate gear to protect against bacteria, chemicals, and airborne contaminants.
Black water situations require the highest level of protection due to sewage contamination and harmful pathogens. These scenarios demand professional intervention to ensure safe cleanup and proper disposal of contaminated materials.
Prevention and Maintenance
Regular maintenance of water heaters, washing machines, and plumbing systems helps prevent future water emergency situations. Inspect these systems regularly for signs of wear or potential failure.
Installing water detection systems alerts you to water loss before minor water damage becomes severe water damage. Early detection allows a quick response to minimize damage and reduce restoration costs.
When to Call Professional Help
Minor water damage from clean water sources might be manageable with proper equipment and knowledge. However, severe water damage, contaminated water, or structural damage requires professional restoration services.
If you’re facing water damage from sewer backups, natural disasters, or extensive flooding, contact professionals immediately. These situations exceed typical homeowner capabilities and require specialized equipment and expertise.
Further damage occurs when improper restoration techniques are used. Professional restoration company services prevent additional problems and ensure thorough restoration of your property.
Call Royal Restoration for Expert Water Damage Services
If the water damage is minimal, you might handle basic cleanup independently. However, when dealing with severe water damage, it’s safer to let professionals handle the complete restoration process. Royal Restoration is your licensed and bonded restoration company for comprehensive water damage restoration services.
We have over a decade of experience in fire, storm, and water damage restoration. This experience means we efficiently work around your needs, even when major replacements of your house foundations become necessary.
Royal Restoration provides 24/7 emergency response when water emergency occurs. Our team arrives quickly to begin water extraction, assess structural damage, and start the restoration process to return your property to normal conditions.
Should you need a free consultation and quote, feel free to reach out. We remain available around the clock to help restore your property and ensure your family’s safety during water damage emergencies.
