A fast response is key to preventing further flood damage throughout your property. The Quantum Restoration Services team is ready to come onsite immediately to begin extracting the water and getting you back to dry.
There are three types of water damage and they should all be handled differently to ensure the integrity of your indoor living environment and in order to minimize the impact on your immediate life.
Water damage caused from a clean water broken pipe, a hot water heater leak, or air conditioning leak to name a few. In most cases, if the water removal and drying process begins within 24 hours of the incident, demolition or floor removal may not be necessary provided the company you chose has the right type of equipment and the knowledge of how to effectively dry all of the effected materials. Many contractors will look to rip your home apart to make their invoice higher and tell you that it is necessary in order for them to dry your home or building. As a matter of fact, most clean water floods can be mitigated without any demolition. If you experience this type of loss and do not want your home turned into a construction site, look for a contractor that does “TOP DOWN DRYING” or “DIRECT HEAT DRYING”. Both of these methods can be used to dry flooring and structures without the need for demolition.
Water damage that potentially contains contaminates or micro-organisms, often caused by washing machines, rain water, or stagnant water that has been sitting for more than 48 hours are a few examples. The protocol for this type of flood is a little more invasive than a category 1 flood. After water removal, the carpet padding and affected drywall should be removed and all affected areas need to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before the drying process begins.
This type of flood can be the result of a sewer back up, rain water that has passed through soil where it could have picked up micro-organisms or flood waters from lakes or rivers. This is a very serious type of water loss and takes a great deal of work to mitigate. All affected textiles such as carpet, carpet padding, affected upholstered furniture need to be disposed of, along with any soft building materials such as sheet rock or particle board. Most flooring needs to be removed and disposed of and the concrete sub floor needs to be disinfected and steam cleaned. Lastly, before rebuilding, it is recommended that the existing frame work be sealed with an antimicrobial coating. If you were to not re-mediate a category 3 water loss properly it could result in serious health risks for the inhabitants.
We have informed you about the types of water losses that may occur and how they should be mitigated, now will discuss drying. There are many methods that can be used to dry a structure, textiles, and various building materials. Make sure that the restorer you are using is certified in structural drying and that they intend to use low grain refrigerant dehumidifiers, desiccant dehumidifiers or direct heat drying units to dry your home. Without these types of machines it is not possible to effectively dry building structures in a timely manner.
Here at Quantum Restoration Services we have extensive knowledge and experience in all facets of flood-related damage. We have the credentials, the experience, the know how and the most advanced equipment to mitigate and bring your home back to a pre-loss condition. Our goal is to minimize loss and restore your home or business as fast as possible. You can be assured that a certified professional will handle the mitigation of your home or business with only your best interests in mind and communicate with you along the way.
Water damage insurance claims depend on a few different criteria. Ultimately, that's a question you'll have to clarify with your insurance company. However, we can tell you that the viability of water damage insurance claims depends primarily on what caused the damage (storm, burst pipe, plumbing malfunction, localized flood, sump pump failure, etc.). Some insurance policies will outline scenarios that will NOT be covered without specific riders like flood insurance, or sump pump failure insurance.
Contacting a restoration contractor as well as your insurance adjuster at the same time is a good idea, because the restoration contractor will help make sure that not only will the water extraction and dry out be covered, but the rebuild process that should follow. If the full scope of the claim isn't outlined and agreed upon from the start, there may be issues down the line, and property owners may find themselves having to pay out of pocket to get the property completely back to normal.
That depends on the types of materials that were affected by water. Drywall, carpet, and hardwood floors will take longer to dry than other materials in the space. We use moisture meters throughout the process and in many different locations to gauge the moisture levels and will continue to adjust our fans and dehumidifiers to achieve an efficient but effective dry time. The bare minimum of "three days to dry" may only produce a surface dry, but can still leave behind moisture levels that create an ideal environment for mold to grown.
Most homeowners start trying to remove the water themselves before they realize they'll need to contact their insurance company about a claim so they can call in a water damage restoration company. However, standing water around anything with a power cord or outlet or sagging ceilings make the area unsafe. Also, many insurance claims require documentation of the loss BEFORE any work is done, including removing the water. Always take plenty of photos of the damage you see before taking any action to start cleaning up the mess. Your restoration contractor will be able to back up your insurance claim scope with the necessary technical documentation as well.
If the water damage involves Category 1 water (clean and free of microbes and bacteria), many of your personal belongings can be salvaged. Category 2 water would include other water sources, including rainwater, that, while not containing biohazards or sewage, still pose health risks and the potential for destructive microbial growth and mold. A water damage restoration technician will help you sort through the contents of the property to determine what can be safely dried, what can be restored by a textile/contents technician, and what can't be saved or salvaged. There are off-site facilities in the area that specialize in restoring water-damaged contents. Your restoration team will document all of the contents leaving the property for restoration or disposal for your records and also for reimbursement from your insurance company.
Identifying the source of the water damage is one of the first steps in both the insurance claim process but also before beginning to dry out and repair the damaged areas. After all, if you replace a sagging, wet ceiling that was caused by a roof leak but don't fix the roof, too, the next rainstorm will start the cycle all over again. The buckling to your hardwood floor could be caused by a leaking pipe. We will pinpoint the exact cause of your water damage and make sure the source is repaired. We make sure your restoration job is done right the first time.
Integrity before bottom-line. Minimize loss. Expedite Mitigation process. Restore to Pre-loss conditions.
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