You may have heard of someone’s home getting flooded when a pipe breaks or seen an advertisement for water extraction specialists and wondered, “How do they do it?” Well, they don’t use a bucket brigade system—this isn’t the 18th century—in fact, the methods are far more advanced than that now.
There are a few steps that typically take place before anyone begins extracting water and those involve: inspecting the source of the water and damage, the types of water (categories 1, 2, and 3), and identifying any health concerns (such as asbestos or mold); then they’ll move any furniture or items obstructing them from effectively extracting the water.
The Water Extraction Process
Once the situation has been assessed properly and the work area is prepared, the extraction process begins. (Be careful and await trained professionals to handle this task as the foundation may be weak and collapse, electricity can create fatal hazards, and mold or asbestos can create a toxic environment!)
The process typically begins with the use of an industrial-strength wet vacuum/pump, which is capable of quickly extracting thousands of gallons of water.
(Depending on the volume of water, they may also use submersible pumps to reduce drying time and prevent water damage.)
After the water has been successfully removed, they begin an inspection of your carpets and pad—which may need to be removed to protect the floor underneath.
Moisture detectors, hygrometers, and infrared cameras are used to detect problematic moisture-levels and hard-to-see “smart water” that can hide in the walls and ceilings.
Post-Extraction Drying and Cleaning
Following the extraction process, they begin drying and dehumidifying your floors, walls, and ceilings. With the help of industrial dehumidifiers and high-speed floor dryers (also called “air movers”), they can return your home to acceptable levels of dryness, measured with specialized moisture equipment.
Once the property is sufficiently dry, it is then cleaned, sanitized, deodorized, and restored. This process involves air-scrubbers, anti-microbial and -bacterial treatments, and disinfectants to ensure your personal belongings are preserved and your home is safe. (They typically help dispose of any damaged goods as well.)
Onward to a Dry Future
That’s a quick description of the water extraction process professionals in Santa Rosa, CA use to save peoples’ homes. From water-pumping to moisture-removal, and drying to cleaning, your home will look like it’s been dry for decades!
If you ever experience a flood or water damage of any kind, contact your local water extraction/removal specialists to ensure your home is taken care of appropriately.
You might think that the recent water damage to your home in Sonoma County may be irreparable. So, it’s time to pack up and move out? Or course not! Modern technology allows us to dry, clean, and sanitize damaged and hazardous personal belonging, as well as repair all the structural damage to your home.
Typical Damage
Typically, when water damages a home, the water doesn’t rise above a foot or two off the ground, but that water can completely ruin your floor, wall paint, and drywall, while it’s possible for the electrical lines and plumbing to be damaged by the water or during repairs.
On top of the damage to your home’s woodwork, flooring, plumbing, and electricity, you also run the risk of mold growing in any areas that remain wet for too long, turning your home into a toxic trap. So, you might think all this damage will make your home unsafe to live in and collapse on itself, but you’d be wrong!
Time for Repairs
Despite your fears that the damage is too severe to be fixed, in the eyes of restoration professionals, the near-collapse appearance of your home is just another day on the job. The water can seep through your flooring to damage the subflooring and ceilings below, while completely weakening the wallboard, but that’s nothing more than a flat tire to the experts.
Once you’ve contacted a restoration professional to come care for your home, they’ll start taking measures to prevent further damage in its weakened state, then begin their work which often includes:
Drywall removal and installation
Hardwood, tile, and carpet repair
Painting
Repairing electrical lines and plumbing
Regardless of where you are, your home, office, garage, or an outdoor shed, water restoration professionals can make your damaged property look better than new; the water damage will have served to improve the overall quality of your house (while providing the opportunity to redesign as well).
Rejoice, don’t Grieve!
While you thought your home was damaged beyond repairs and you were going to lose it along with all the memories it holds, your smart decision to hire experts to save the day paid off. Their work was miraculous, not only fixing what appeared unfixable, but restoring your home beyond its original state and leaving it sturdy enough to provide a space for more memories. If you ever experience water damage again (or know someone who does), then you won’t have a seed of doubt in your mind that everything can be made right as rain (just not INSIDE the house!).
Most bathrooms have that extra switch on the wall to activate a fan on the ceiling, but it doesn’t seem to do much but add a constant hum. In fact, that tiny fan ventilates the bathroom, removing: humidity, odors, and other pollutants.
While the improved air quality might be enough (no one likes a smelly bathroom!), its most powerful effect is that of removing humidity when taking a shower. This subtle service acts to prevent moisture from collecting within the bathroom, potentially creating mold and the broad range of damage mold can cause.
The Dangers of Mold in Your Home
Mold (and its white counterpart) is a fungus that can collect on your shower curtain, drains, walls, floors, and appliances. Beyond just touching it, inhaling mold spores can cause problems to those who are sensitive to it (children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems). These problems include:
Allergic Reactions: rashes, runny nose, sneezing, and red eyes.
Fever and difficulty breathing.
Infections.
Mold grows when its tiny spores land in a moist environment and are given the time to reproduce (this is most dangerous when you can’t easily spot the mold). You should try your best to be aware of the areas where moisture is likely to collect: the kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, and outside of the house where water collects.
How to Prevent Mold
The best tips to are to keep areas dry with rugs or towels, improved air-circulation (by fans and open doors), and using dehumidifiers. Ask a professional contractor to ensure your air ducts are operating appropriately, check and fix leaks, and adding insulation.
But for your bathroom, the key is the innocuous fan on the ceiling; if you properly maintain it, then you drastically reduce the chance for mold to grow and damage your family and home.
By vacuuming the fan and clearing any dust from it, you can ensure proper ventilation.
Once a year, you should disconnect the electricity to it, remove the grate, and wash it with soap.
Then dry the grate, put it back in place, and turn the power back on.
Living Mold-Free (Or At Least Trying)
These tips can help you prevent mold, but it’s more common than you think and the damage it can cause is severe. In the case of mold damage, you probably have water damage as well, so find a local Santa Rosa, CA mold remediation company to come in and ensure your home is safe for you and your family, while preventing the costly repairs from increasing.
An often-overlooked aspect of your home defense is the roof! It has the tough job of protecting everything under it from the rain, sun, hail, and debris. Typically, a new roof will last from 20- to 30- years, but there are many unaccounted-for factors which deteriorate your roof faster; and, unfortunately, it isn’t always obvious when something has gone wrong up there. So, what can you do!?
Inspecting your House for Roof Leaks
A roof leak can cause problems in a few areas: the ceiling, the interior and exterior walls, and the roof of course! The best thing you can do is inspect these areas after it rains. Let’s discuss some common signs you should be looking for.
Water Stains – These stains look like puddles surrounded by a brown ring; they can affect your ceiling and walls, so be sure to check the inside and outside of your house thoroughly (and bring a flashlight for those dark corners).
Drips – These often occur in the areas where water stains have worsened. Sometimes these drips (and stains) come and go, but don’t think you’re safe just because they’ve gone away; any moisture is problem and it should be fixed immediately.
Missing Shingles and Clogged Gutters – A missing shingle is a dead giveaway that a leak is in your future; check your attic and crawlspace to ensure there isn’t already a small leak. While your gutters and downspouts can get clogged and cause problems (but there are accessories you can install to prevent these).
Addressing Roof Problems
If you notice a leak or a problem that will likely lead to a leak, then you should call a professional to inspect it further and fix it right away. The fix may be as simple as replacing broken or missing shingles, sealing leaky joints, or improving your gutter system.
Age is the most common cause of a damaged roof and the leaks associated with it, so there will likely come a time when you must repair it; the key is to address the problem as soon as you can, because the water damage it causes will make the problem much worse.
In the End
A damaged roof is inevitable, as are leaks and water damage; if they aren’t caused by your roof or gutters, then they’ll be caused by a broken pipe, washing machine, rain, or overflowing bathtub. Be sure to inspect your house regularly for any potential problems and address any you discover immediately.
When water sneaks into your home (or out of it) and causes damage, you should call your local Santa Rosa, CA professional restoration service to clean it up immediately. A broken pipe or roof can be fixed without causing any damage, but water inside your home causes damage that can be hard to see and even harder to fix, so the trick is to vacuum it and dry it up as soon as you can (before it causes mold).
