Water Damage Restoration Pre-Steps

Water damage restoration tips can be very helpful after a natural disaster, a burst pipe or any kind of water damage in your home or business. Where do you begin? What’s involved in the process? What’s the first thing I should do?

The first thing you should do is stop the leak immediately to help prevent further water damage. Turn off the water valve either under the sink in question or outside where the water comes into your home from the city. If you need to, call a pro who knows what he’s doing. The price you’ll pay now may be far less than the price of additional cleanup if you wait too long.

Now you can get started with the actual water damage restoration.

** Water Damage Restoration - Step by Step **

• First Step - Carefully Look Around. If you can, have an expert do this to see how extensive the damage is and what the repair work will be like. Moisture content will be measured. Drying equipment may be needed if there is enough moisture to warrant immediate and/or through removal of excess water. Water damage can come from come from any combination of three different types of water: clean water, gray water (moderately clean) or black water (potentially contaminated with deadly disease). Additionally, there are several levels of water damage:

Level A - Just a part of just one room has received a minimal amount of water damage. Level B - An entire room has been damage by the intruding water, resulting in contamination to everything in that room. Third Level - Walls, floors, furniture, etc. need replacement, due to the spread of water damage within that room. Level D - The water damage is so extensive that even normally resistant materials to water damage have succumbed and need replacement or repair.

Second Step - Stop more damage from happening by using dehumidifiers to remove excess humidity from the air to cut down on the growth of mold and bacteria. The Environmental Protection Agency has suggested throwing out everything if exposed to excessive water or moisture for more than 48 hours. Also, insurance companies may delay their help, and you don’t want damage to continue to occur while you wait for paperwork to be processed.

Step Three - It’s time to remove that standing water. It can be done with the aid of wet-dry shop vacs and water pumps. Standing water can do great damage if it sits too long, seeping into cracks and holes and spreading damage as it sits, so depending on the size of the room this step should be done quickly with as many pieces of water removal equipment as possible.

Step Four - Dry Out The Room. Do so by using several fans placed throughout the room to further remove extra moisture. Position the fans to have maximum effect by blowing air on the parts of the room that are still wet. Holes are sometimes drilled into wet walls, floor or ceilings to allow excess water to escape. But time is of the essence as you need to get this done ASAP. And be patient! This process can last a long time.

Fifth Step - Sanitize and clean everything in sight to get rid of microbes and mold that can find their way into nearly everything and grow exponentially. Use steam on surfaces that can withstand the extreme heat and humidity. If something is too badly damaged and/or contaminated, throw it out.

Sixth Step - A complete inspection should be done by a skilled professional with the know how and experience to fo the job right. It’s worth it to do the job, even though it’s a lot of work.

Step Seven - If things need replacement then don’t hesitate to get rid of them. Anything from ceiling to floor and in between might need replacement. It’s too dangerous to risk your health otherwise.

You’re finished!