Water is a necessity for human, animal and plant. Water also serves as an indispensable resource for the economy, but just as with anything else, when water is introduced to material that is not intended to get wet it can be damaging and costly.
Some home or business owners have suffered water damage to their buildings and may even believe that is a simple matter of repairing the obviously damaged areas of the structure, not knowing there are many unseen and potentially hazardous effects water can have on a building. Some of which may just affect one’s health and physical conditions.
Even though there is no official government rules and regulations in the process of the restoration, there are still certifying bodies, which do recommend complying with the standards and procedures of water damage restoration. There are some companies, which use the S500 standard. This standard has restoration principles that provide practical and basic standards for proper restoration practices.
All of these procedures to be followed and must be observed when doing the restoration of homes, business buildings and other structures. Some of the procedures to follow are:
1. Evaluation and Loss Assessment
2. Drying Principals
3. Contents and structure consideration
4. Monitoring
5. Final Inspection
Professional water damage restoration will do some documentation of affected materials and refer to the guide standard prices in order to conclude the value of the lost and the service fee.
It also includes the inspection of the area using equipment in determining the possible source of damage and area of affected. The restorations services will sanitize and deodorize all affected materials and areas. After the completion of the service, there will be a reevaluation in the residence after three days then do the drying and monitoring process. The monitoring process includes the temperature, moisture and humidity of walls and other affected material. The drying principles set by IICRC, companies who completed the certification courses must follow the standards to ensure the control over the water damage for both workers and the residents. When working at home, the water damage restoration’s bills are on per hour basis. This includes the electronics, books, furniture and other materials affected by water. Perform treatment such as sanitation, drying and deodorization.
For the final inspection, if the temperature, humidity, and moisture content are now acceptable to the standards, then the water damage restoration is now complete. The equipments used are now ready to be removed.
Water damage has three categories. It may ranges from clean water damage, least hazardous or black water and grey water damage. For clean water category, if the water damage caused by pipe leaks, washing machine, sink malfunctioning, etc, it is easier to solve. However, if it the water is contaminated by chemicals, it will be called as Grey water. This is slightly polluted water. Lastly, the most dangerous is the black water. It comes from any water that has animal or human waste that will be hazardous to ones health. There are some critical cases, which may need to evacuate the entire neighborhood. Remember, there is separate strategy for each of the water types mentioned.
These are some checklist needed by businessman/homeowners that will help them become familiar on what to do after a flood.
1. Ensure permits when applying for restoration. You can consider applying for:
§ Building Permits
§ Electrical Permits Elevators/ Pressure Vessels Permits
§ HVAC Permits
§ Plumbing Permits
2. You can talk to your contractor when it comes to cost.
3. Ask the administrators or the building about the building permit requirements.
Home and business owners must realize sometimes that the scope of the water damage may be much more than what is visible. Sometimes, water damage can be too extensive for an individual to repair all by himself or herself, some noted water damages are due to water pipes that burst or a leak left unnoticed over the years.
Whether home or business, water can cause serious damage to the structure, and that just not get confined just up to the waterline. Some materials used in structures such as drywall, wood and even concrete act like a sponge, causing water damage to extend much higher and deeper into the structure itself.
Mold is one of the side effects of water damage; the growth of mold will happen over a period of time and mostly appears long after the event that caused it, a bio-hazardous fungus which can cause serious illness and sometimes death.
Removal of the harmful material can be done by skilled and professionals, some of this skilled professional can also help us prevent this harmful fungus from even starting.
Below are the Do’s and Don’ts of Water Damage
Don’ts
- Avoid using ordinary household vacuum to remove standing water.
- Avoid going inside rooms with standing water if the electricity is still turned on.
- Avoid using electrical appliances while on wet carpet or wet floors.
- Avoid lifting tacked down carpet without professional help. Lifting the carpet incorrectly could promote shrinkage and delamination.
- Avoid calling your insurance company without calling a professional water damage restoration company first!
Do’s
- Lift draperies off carpet.
- Remove water immediately.
- Prop up wet furniture cushions for even drying
- Wipe your furniture dry.
- Remove wet area rugs, carpets or other floor coverings.
- Open drawers, and luggage to enhance drying.
- Move photos, paintings, and art objects to a safe, dry location
- If damage occurs during a cool season, leave the heater on; if in summer, use an air conditioner if available.
- Spread out damp books to dry
- Hang wet fabrics and other items to dry separately at room temperature.
Some companies offer assistance for water damage restoration, there are some key points to consider, namely permits, and the schedule of work, here are some steps to find someone quick to help you:
- Search the internet or check the phone book for a few sanitarian service offering companies to consider
- Check the website of the chosen companies and check the services they offer.
- Check if the company you have chosen work with your insurance company
- Check the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to ensure the companies you have chosen do not have bad reports on them, if the company you have chosen has bad reports, move to the next company for possible hire.
- Compare prices
- Once you find a company that is BBB approved, give them a call and make an appointment for immediate water damage restoration.
Some companies explain the process, the permits needed before they do the restoration, schedule an inspection or extensive survey of the damage to your property and will give you an estimate of how much the total service will cost.
Upon your approval, the restoration company may start working on the restoration of your property and processes, the following steps are done during restoration:
- they use special industrial strength pumps to suck out large quantity of water until all areas are dry
- air blowers and air dehumidifiers are used to suck out dampness still hanging in the air
- dry air is blown into the premises to stabilize the environment
- every inch of carpets and flooring are dried out
- deodorizers are used to get rid of musty smell that lingers in the air
- application of anti-microbial solution to prevent mold and mildew growth
- Some companies offer safe storage facilities where you can keep your possessions.
A drying and monitoring program can also be established to ensure full and complete restoration is accomplished, technician will meet you and arrange a schedule to regularly monitor the reduction of moisture in the building structure and air.
The length of time it will take to completely dry the property depends upon several factors, this includes the length of time the structure was submerged, the structural materials used, and the depth of the standing water.
Once restoration has been completed, the technician will then request that you sign off the work for final reports to be submitted to your insurance company for prompt settlement.
Water damage restoration in your home or business must need a knowledgeable technician that will work hard to restore your business on its original condition. Of course, it is important to look for a water damage restoration company who are reputable and maintains good practices. Consider a company who has employees with at least five years experience. It is also important to know if the equipments they are using are updated and able to perform the services you need effectively and efficiently. Choose the one who offers check on a regular basis. It is essential that the business can handle huge jobs like repairing, plumbing and electrical wirings or company who could also offer fixing of heating and central air conditioning unit. Lastly, it is important that the company have the ability to deal with your insurance company to lessen your burden when it comes to insurance issues. Dealing with water restoration is easy if you consider some of these options.
