Sometimes, when it rains, it pours. When it does, your home is at risk for serious damage from heavy rains and flooding.
Here’s what you need to know about the potential for extensive water damage after heavy rains or a flood.
Potential Damage
No matter if it’s just enough water to cover a floor or several inches of standing water in your home, here are some things that can be damaged after heavy rains:
Foundation
HVAC system
Water Heater
Walls
Doors
Floors (wood, tile or carpeting)
Personal property
Standing water at ground level damages areas and items kept in the basement, in addition to items in a shed, crawlspace or garage.
While this damage certainly presents dangers to your home and its value, it puts your health and safety in danger as well.
Structural Damage
Unless the water resulting from heavy rains or flooding is removed immediately and completely, you may experience on-going issues and further dangerous or costly repairs.
Water damage behind drywall causes wood rot, damage to wall studs and cracked, crumbling walls.
Water that has soaked metal components leads to rust, which compromises both the strength and integrity of any metal structure and support.
Active mold isn’t picky about where it grows. It eats away any and all structural components, making them weak and ultimately failing. Over time, unchecked active mold can be more destructive to a home’s structure than the initial heavy rain or flooding damage itself.
In addition to water removal, it’s also important to dry and sanitize any areas affected by water damage from heavy rains or flooding.
Health Risks
Residual moisture left after heavy rains not only produces mold and mildew, but also promotes the growth of harmful bacteria and becomes a breeding ground for bugs and insects.
Any items in the lower level, especially water-soaked carpeting and furniture, needs to be thoroughly dried, cleaned, and sanitized or simply replaced before it’s safe to use again.
Otherwise, breathing in black mold, mold spores, bacteria or exposure to insect droppings may cause serious health lung or breathing complications. This is especially true for elderly or very young residents of the home.
Safety Risks
Water can damage appliances typically kept in the lower level such as the water heater, water softener, refrigerator, freezer, washer, and dryer. One of the more expensive things water can damage is your HVAC system.
Because water and electricity do not mix, standing water can negatively affect your entire electrical system by causing sparking, shorts in the circuitry and/or damaged outlets.
There is a danger of electrical shock if you touch electrical wiring or breakers while standing in a heavily water-soaked area.
Conclusion
If you’ve been a victim of flooding or heavy rain damage, don’t take any chances with your home, health, and overall safety.
In Sonoma Valley, call the water and mold removal experts at RCS. We have the experience and tools to restore your home quickly and safely to its pre-flood condition.
We are excited to be working wtih Vulcan Vents to protect home from wild fires in the Sonoma County and surrounding areas.
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David Carney
We started cleaning crawlspace in 2004. And it was part of a mold remediation company. And it wasn't long when we figured out that it was going to be a standalone company that could just focus on key things and get really good at it.
Home Owner
We've had two fires come into our neighborhood. First the Tubbs fire. It was in our neighborhood for a week. It didn't actually come to my house, but then the Kincade fire, you know, came right up to our house and burned most of our property. We thought we're going to lose the house. We replaced all the bark and foot rock and and things like that around the house and removed a lot of bushes and trees and things. And then I had heard about these honeycomb vents. And so a friend of mine referred me to Clean Crawlspace.
David Carney
One of the things that we're really excited about is we're installing fire protection vents at the foundation, attic and eaves. I love this product here. Tell me about it.
Nate Oliver
Vulcan vents, you know, to put it simply it keeps embers from getting inside of the home. Vulcan vents work like event when they should and they become a one hour firewall when they need it. We have a stainless steel mesh on the back that blocks embers for the life the event and the fancy stuff in the middle there is a honeycomb. Honeycomb; it's an aluminum material that's covered with an intumescent coating. Intumescent meaning it expands when exposed to heat.
Home Owner
Everything went great. All the workers were really courteous and I really noticed that when they were inside our house that they you know put plastic over everything and cleaned up after themselves.
David Carney
We do thorough background checks and really are choosy on who we hire because we're coming into the customers house.
Nate Oliver
We're seeing like a 20 to 40% survivability of communities and structures if they harden their homes.
David Carney
Doing it right for the customer the first time with quality people is what it's all about. We're growing and we're just going to continue to take care of the customers
One of the most obvious signs of a roof leak is a water spot on the ceiling. But did you know that oftentimes, the stain may not be directly under the leak?
Roof leaks are challenging because they can be difficult to locate.
Be on the lookout for these things to prevent greater expense and further damage.
Signs of a Leaky Roof
You know it’s time to do some investigating when you notice any of these potential signs which may result in roof leaks:
Active dripping water from the ceiling
Water stains on the ceiling
Sagging ceiling
Bulging walls
Warped doors
Musty smell
Missing or damaged shingles
Old or weather-damaged roof
Roof Damage
Depending on several factors and type of shingles, with asphalt shingles being the most common and least expensive material, a roof usually lasts for about 15-30 years.
If you have an older roof, odds of tears, cracks, or missing shingles increase, and it will begin to fail.
While standing on the ground, if you can see active mold, curling, damaged or missing shingles or rust around the flashing, odds are pretty good that you have a leaky roof.
Potential Damage from Roof Leaks
If you suspect you have a leaky roof, don’t put off repairs or replacement. Putting things off will only make things worse.
Some of the damage incurred by roof leaks include:
Structural Damage
Damaged trusses which in turn damage fascia, rafters, ceiling joists, and framing.
Water damaged rafters result in wood softening and ultimately, rotting.
Leaky roofs cause water damage to interior walls and drywall, resulting in sagging, buckling and/or crumbling.
Water running down basement walls can negatively impact the foundation.
Energy Efficiency
Water from a roof leak can also destroy insulation in an attic. Poor insulation not only makes things drafty, but compromises overall comfort levels.
Poor insulation makes the furnace or air conditioning run more, work harder, and costs you more money in energy bills.
Miscellaneous Damage
Depending on the location of your leak, water coming in can damage the electrical panel or wires within your home. This could short circuit your electrical system, damage wires or cause dangerous arcing or sparking.
Water staining on the ceiling, walls, and flooring.
Damage to ceiling-mounted fans and lighting.
Mold and mildew.
Rodents and bugs entering the home.
Damage to personal belongings.
Conclusion
As you can see, roof leaks and the resulting damage is not something to ignore.
Once the damage is done and the roof replaced, reach out to RCS for inspection and an action plan to remediate and restore all the water and potential mold damage.
It’s very common to experience mold problems during hot summer months when heat and humidity are at their worst.
But did you know that mold doesn’t take a break during cooler months?
Unfortunately, mold is an issue that can appear at any time of the year.
Here’s how mold makes its way indoors even in cooler seasons and what you can do to stop it.
Relentless Mold
Even if the temperatures outside go no lower than 60 degrees, as long as there’s enough moisture or humidity, it thrives.
Because mold can grow in places you might not normally check in on, like the attic or in walls, it might go undetected and result in a serious mold problem.
Mold can be relentless because while it grows in places that are hard to detect, it’s also nearly impossible to find a place where there isn’t some stage of mold.
The problem with the fungus known as mold is that it grows and spreads via airborne mold spores. Mold spores often and easily become airborne, drift through the air, settle and grow.
It doesn’t need heat to do the job. This process occurs whether temperatures are warm or cold.
How Mold Affects Your Health and Home
If you are suffering from allergy symptoms like itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, or finding it difficult to breathe, it might not be just a common, seasonal cold.
While it’s unsettling to think that there’s undetected mold growing in your home, it happens.
Allergic reactions to mold and mold spores are bad enough, but it can really be serious for anyone with compromised immune systems or suffers from upper respiratory issues.
Mold is also very destructive throughout the home as it can cause rotting and decomposition of carpeting, furniture, clothing, wood, and other structural components.
Cracks or leaks in the roof causing wet insulation or poorly insulated plumbing pipes can cause condensation, excess moisture or humid conditions which are prime conditions for mold.
Drafty window frames are another great spot for condensation and humidity which are also prime spots to watch for mold.
Cold Weather Mold Prevention
Because prevention is so much better than dealing with a mold infestation, here are some tips for preventing cold weather mold.
Inspect your home for any leaks, moisture, or humidity hot spots such as HVAC ductwork, around windows, under kitchen and bathroom sinks and any exposed plumbing pipes. Repair these leaks immediately and make sure that surrounding areas are completely dried and sanitized.
For small patches of developing mold (under 10 square feet), clean it away with a mixture of diluted bleach or vinegar.
Check the attic for humidity and condensation. Repair any issues with leaks, gaps, or cracks.
Replace inadequate, damaged, wet, or missing insulation.
Repair any circulation or ventilation issues in the attic.
Adjust the thermostat to reduce humidity during cooler temperatures.
Conclusion
Don’t let mold invade your home during this season’s cooler temperatures.
For all your mold questions, issues or remediation needs in Sonoma Valley, be sure to call RCS. Our mold remediation specialists can restore your home to a safe, healthy, and mold-free condition no matter what season of the year.
