Water damage in a home or office can be caused by storm water entering through walls, doors, windows and flooding the home or office, or from broken pipes, malfunctioning appliances within the building. Either way, the damage done by the water can be quite substantial.
Water quickly spreads and flows into walls, ceilings and lower floors through cracks and along piping pathways. In addition, water will soak drywalls, insulation within the wall cavities, carpeting and carpet padding. Any porous material along the way of the water spreading along your home or office, will suck and absorb water like a sponge.
What To Do When You Have A Water Flood in Your Home Or Office
- Turn off the electrical breakers serving the flooded areas
- Stop The Flow of Water
That sounds easy and could be a big challenge. Different approaches are required, depending on the source of the water.
Broken Pipe or Malfunctioning Appliance:
With a broken pipe or malfunctioning appliance, you can shut off the water valve on the pipe branch serving the problem area. This valve might be located right at the appliance or plumbing fixture, or you might have to turn of the main valve in the main water supply line serving your home or office.
Water Entering Your Home or Office From Outside:
That might be a big challenge, depending on where and how much water is entering your home or office. It is best to consult a contractor immediately to have them help you with this.
- Remove plants, books, papers, small furniture if possible, and pin up curtains and furniture skirts. Put aluminum foil under the feet of heavy furniture.
- Mop up and/or Vacuum up all standing water.
A small amount of water on the floor can easily be mopped up. Larger quantities are best vacuumed up with a special machine. Do Not Use your regular vacuum cleaner! Call a neighbor, friend, or contractor and ask if they have a machine you could borrow or rent. Dry the floors with towels as much as possible.
Call a Water Damage Restoration Expert
It is very important to remove all the wet drywall, insulation, carpets and padding, and ceiling tiles. The building structure might need be exposed to be able to completely dry out the home or office.
Flood damage cleanup requires special tools to detect hidden wetness in walls. The removal of drywall and insulation must be done carefully to minimize the amount of repairs required to walls, ceilings and floors.
Leaving any building components, carpets or padding wet, can, and probably will, result in the growth of mold. Mold can affect the health of your family or employees. Mold remediation is very expensive.
Don’t take the risk. Call the experts for water damage cleanup and restoration.