Leaking pipes, burst sewer lines, and natural disasters can often leave your home severely water damaged. If your property is affected by water damage, it’s critical to identify the cause and act quickly to avoid further destruction.
Household water damage can be very stressful to deal with, especially when it leads to more problems down the line. While these repairs often require the help of professionals, there are a few DIY steps you can follow to help limit the damage where possible.
What Does Water Damage Affect?
Water is critical to life, but it can also destroy everything in its path – leaving you with a huge mess to clean up. As a homeowner, it is important to understand what areas water can seriously damage within your home. To be safe, always inspect the following locations for damage:
- Drywall
- Plaster
- Insulation
- Wood
- Framing
- Floor coverings
- Electrical wiring
- Pipes
- Appliances
- HVAC
As you can see, water can wreak havoc on your home’s foundation and quickly wrack up a hefty restoration bill if left unattended. It’s therefore important to act swiftly before the damage becomes worse.
What to Consider Before Water Damage Restoration?
To determine whether you will clean up the area yourself or hire water damage restoration experts, the first thing you want to do is to evaluate the situation and consider a few of the following factors:
Water Volume
If your home is experiencing a small or moderate amount of water, you can typically manage it on your own if you have the proper tools. However, if there is significant flooding that is not going away despite your efforts, it might be best to call a professional.
If your neighborhood is recovering from a natural disaster or large flood, and your home has suffered significant damage, it may not be the time for a DIY project. Follow the instructions from your local disaster relief authorities and leave these repairs to the experts.
Source of Damage
Before you dive into water damage restoration, you need to discover where the water is coming from. There are three types of water you need to look out for when you have a flooding issue in your home.
- Clean water: From rain or leaky pipes, this water does not contain harmful chemicals and is safe to handle yourself.
- Gray water: Leaking from appliances like your dishwasher, toilet, or washing machine gray water may be slightly contaminated. With the proper precautions, you can clean this yourself.
- Blackwater: The most harmful type of water, blackwater comes from the sewer or flooding from a nearby water source such as a river. It often contains health hazards and is unsafe to handle.
Damage Level
Lastly, you’ll want to assess the level of damage. Light damage can often be handled by the homeowner, however, significant damage can be hazardous and dangerous to repair without the help of a professional. For example, if flooding on an upper level has seeped through the floor onto the ceiling, the damage is beyond your ability to safely restore.
5 DIY Water Damage Restoration Tips for Your Home
Now that you have properly assessed the situation, consider these water damage restoration tips to ensure repairs are done quickly. It is important to note that wet materials begin to develop mold after 24 hours, so you don’t have time to wait!
1.Disconnect Outlets
The first thing to do when you discover water damage in your home is to unplug all electronics immediately. While you may not see the severity of the water damage just yet, it’s important to be cautious around appliances and gas lines. Using this equipment despite the situation could cause electrical shocks or even explosions.
2. Inspect Mold
Certain mold strains are toxic to humans and pose serious health risks. Most of the time, mold can spread quickly once it infests an area, so it is in your best interest to inspect for growth to avoid any health hazards. For small issues, you can cut out the affected area, bag it, and dispose of it immediately. However, with serious mold infestations, you need to shut down any airflow to stop contamination and then call a mold specialist. Oftentimes, mold can appear inside the walls or floors, so it’s important that this inspection is ongoing throughout the restoration.
3. Dry Water Out
Before more damage occurs, you need to eliminate all moisture and dry out the affected areas. You can use fans or a large-capacity dehumidifier to circulate air and dry out the carpet, wood, and other surrounding materials. While this won’t prevent mold growth altogether, properly drying out the area will help lessen the damage.
4. Remove Damaged Materials
If your porous materials, like insulation or carpet, are soaked with water, you need to dispose of them immediately to avoid mildew. It is important to focus on the ceiling and floors first. This means unsealed cement, drywall, and wood need to be addressed and replaced so the home’s structure can support water damage repair.
5. Disinfect Remaining Areas
Depending on the type of water you are dealing with, it can contain a lot of bacteria and other hazards that can cause health problems. The water could also encourage the growth of mold, so it is important to sanitize immediately. Once the damaged materials have been removed, you will want to disinfect the entire area before you begin the restoration process. Spray and wipe down the surfaces with bleach so the mold spores don’t grow before you continue with the repairs.
Call a Professional for Your Water Damage Restoration
While water damage can be very stressful for homeowners, it is possible to restore your home back to normal with the right steps. When taking on your own restoration, it’s important to properly assess the situation before moving forward to avoid any health hazards.
If you’re looking for guidance or believe the damage is beyond what you can handle, it’s always a good idea to leave water damage restoration to the professionals – contact Restoration 1 Water Damage Experts for 24/7 support. Find a location near you today.
Title: 5 ways To Prevent Water Damage From Your HVAC
Did you know that your HVAC system has the potential to cause water damage to your business or home property? If you are not regularly maintaining the drains, evaporator coils, and pipes you may soon have a problem on your hands.
Regular maintenance on these heating and cooling units will not only save you from possible water damage which can be a costly exercise to deal with, but it will also prolong the life of the HVAC system and its running issues.
Warning Signs your HVAC System Needs Maintenance
A leaking or malfunctioning HVAC system can be disastrous to your business or home property, but luckily there are some telltale signs that the unit is not doing so well. Here are a few things to look out for:
Lingering Smells
If there are lingering smells in your home, perhaps the curry from dinner a few nights ago, or at your business it may be that there is a problem with air movement. A moldy/musty smell could mean moisture has found its way into the ductwork of your unit, and this may lead to mold growth. An electrical burning odor could indicate that your HVAC system is overheating – time to turn off your unit and call in the big guns.
Water Leaks
When you start seeing leaks from your HVAC system, it’s more evident that you have a problem. The leaks may indicate a frozen evaporator coil, damaged condensation line, or even a clogged drain. These leaks, if not spotted early, can lead to water damage to your property and the build-up of mold.
5 Ways to prevent water damage from your HVAC system
- Change the Filter
You will need to change the filters once a month, although some only need to be changed twice a year, so make a note to do the changes on time. Changing the filter will help prevent the system from overworking, which can lead to the freezing of the coils.
- Keep it Clean
Your air conditioner needs proper airflow to work effectively, so cleaning accumulated dirt on the exterior of the unit, or condenser, needs to be done at least once a year. Also make sure the condenser isn’t covered with anything or objects aren’t placed to close, to keep the airflow free-flowing.
- Maintaining the Drain Line
You will want to check that the water in your HVAC system is flowing freely to the drain. While the system is running, check that the condensation line is open and, if it’s not, make sure to clean the drainage holes. The holes are on the base of the cabinet, and you can use a wire to poke through and make sure it’s clear.
- Install a Pump
By installing a condensation pump to your HVAC system, you will help excess water to flow into the proper disposal drain. Along with a pump, you can install a safety float which will automatically shut down the power to the system if condensation does start to build up. Doing this will ensure there is no risk of overflow.
- Call in the Professionals
If this all sounds too much for you, why not hire a professional to maintain your HVAC system on a regular basis. They will also be able to inspect and fix problems concerning the ductwork, AC compressors, the thermostat, and more.
Water Damage
Water damage is more than just an annoying problem. It can be devastating to your business or home property, possessions, and the health of employees or family. If left untreated even over just 48 hours, a minor leak could escalate into a full-blown mold infestation. We at Restoration 1 hope to help businesses and homeowners prevent such a terrible situation.
When you call Restoration 1 for water damage restoration, we send our certified specialists within the hour. Our trained technicians, with advanced equipment, mitigate water issues, so your property is like new again. As the leading provider of water and mold damage restoration, Restoration 1 has earned a solid reputation in property restoration.
For 24-hour water damage restoration and cleanup, call your local Restoration 1 immediately or find out more online. We’ll send our best within an hour of your call
