Water Damage Answers

Dryout Before You Mold Out

Mold needs two things to thrive inside your home: water and food. While you may be thinking about foods in your refrigerator, we’re actually talking about mold food such as drywall and plaster. That’s right: mold eats the materials on which it resides. Not only is mold unsightly and unhealthy, it slowly eats through building materials. In any case, you don’t want it in your home or building, so make sure to dryout before you mold out.

 

Because mold needs a moist environment before it sets up a colony and begins devouring your home, it makes sense to get the water out! Whether your home has suffered from a major flood event or you have a steady drip, drip, drip in the basement, drying out is your first defense. In fact, the first 48 hours after water has arrived are the most crucial as far as mold is concerned. A prompt response is a must if you want to avoid mold.

 

For smaller floods such as an overflowing dishwasher in the kitchen, drying out can be a do-it-yourself job, especially if you have a tile floor and can easily mop up the water. Tools of the trade for these small, do-it-yourself dryout jobs include a mop, wet/dry vacuum cleaner, fans, cleaning supplies, and common sense. Any time you have an issue with standing water, you also have an issue with electrocution. Take all safety precautions to ensure that you are safe, even if they seem like overkill. Among the steps to take are: turning off power to the home, stopping the water from continuing to pour in, mopping up, cleaning, decontaminating, drying, and deodorizing. Once the standing water has been mopped up and it is safe to turn on the power, you may need to use a wet/dry vacuum cleaner to extract water from carpets or sofas.

 

For larger floods, a professional water damage restoration company is the better choice, especially since mold can sneak in within 48 hours. Professional water damage restorers have the industrial equipment required for a fast dryout. In addition to a prompt response using heavy duty blowers, scrubbers, and dehumidifiers, professionals use powerful products such as mold inhibitors and deodorizers to prevent mold from taking hold and keep the home smelling fresh.

 

While plumbing accidents and floods will prompt you to quickly evaluate your water damage and determine whether or not you can reasonably dryout your home or hire a professional to help you do it, other sources of water may be present in your home. These less visible sources of water may be encouraging mold to come on in and set up a colony. Left unchecked, you’ll soon have a moldy home!

 

Use your nose and periodically inspect your home for signs of mold. A musty odor almost always means one thing: mold. While you’re at it, pay attention to signs of moisture such as condensation on the walls or windows. High indoor humidity levels provide the moist environment that mold thrives upon. Outdoor conditions can also lead to mold problems indoors. For example, if your lot has poor drainage, water can seep through the basement’s walls. A clogged rain gutter can cause water to work its way into the walls or roofline. Poorly sealed windows can leak as can roofs. Check the perimeter of your house for excessively moist areas and consider why water is collecting there.  

 

Take action to dryout all wet areas, inside and out, immediately. You may need to install vents, repair plumbing leaks, or even re-grade your lot for better drainage. Your dryout efforts are important in ensuring that your house dries out and does not mold out.

 

 

 

By: Mr. Mark Decherd

 

For more information and other articles by Mark Decherd go to:

 

Dryout® Inc.
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907
http://www.dryout.net
239-437-7100

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Dryout Inc Emergency water damage restoration, drying, deodorization, decontamination, disinfection, mold removal, water damage repair, restoration and reconstruction of commercial and residential properties damaged by fire, water and other disasters by a network of trained specialists, technicians and restoration professionals across the USA and Canada.

 

 

 

Water Damage Restoration

 

Wonder what exactly water damage restoration is? As you know, when your home suffers from water damage, you’ve got a big mess – and a big job – on your hands. The process of repairing your home to its pre-loss condition after a flood, overflow, or other water damage event is known as water damage restoration. During the water damage restoration process, several key procedures take place: loss assessment, categorizing water based on the water source’s contamination levels, drying and decontaminating the structure and its contents, monitoring the process, and completion.

 

Before any restoration job is undertaken, it is first evaluated so that an appropriate response is taken. For example, if you were considering buying and restoring a classic car, you’d want to know exactly what you are dealing with and where to begin. When it comes to water damage, not only must the technicians fully understand the task ahead of them, insurance companies are often involved. Not only must a water damage restoration technician understand what is damaged and what needs to be done, the damage must be thoroughly inspected and documented and accurate estimates made. The source of the damage must also be identified so that necessary repairs can be made.

 

As part of the assessment, water is categorized based on the contamination levels (Category 1, 2, or 3) of its water source. For example, water damage from a clean source such as an overflowing sink is easier to deal with than a water source containing raw sewage. The categories are as follows:

·        Category 1 – Water from clean sources such as sinks, pipes, and toilet bowls (without urine or feces)

·        Category 2 – Water with some contaminants such as water from a washing machine, dishwasher, or toilet with urine (but no feces)

·        Category 3 – Water that is extremely unsanitary, capable of causing severe illness or death if the water was ingested. Examples of Category 3 water include sewage, water from a toilet bowl containing feces, floodwaters from rivers, and standing water with microbial growth.

Keep in mind that the source water may have originally been fairly clean and sanitary, but it can quickly come into contact with unsanitary contaminants and become Category 2 or 3 water.

 

Water damage usually affects not just the immediate area but also the home’s contents. Water damage restoration technicians must also deal with furniture, drapes, carpets, electronics, books, and other contents affected by the water. Some of these contents will be moved before the water gets to them in an attempt to prevent damage, others will need to be dried, cleaned, and decontaminated, and others still will be damaged to the point where they must be discarded.

 

Finally, the drying, cleaning, and decontaminating process begins. During this time, equipment such as blowers, scrubbers, subfloor drying equipment, and dehumidifiers are put into place and left for several days with the drying process monitored to ensure that the all equipment is placed appropriately and working as it should. Humidity levels, temperatures, and moisture content of affected areas are monitored with additional drying continuing as needed. In addition to drying, cleaning, decontaminating, mold inhibitors may be used to prevent mold from growing. Deodorizers may also be required. Even if the water damage was from a Category 1 water source, contaminants in carpets and the underlying carpet pad can quickly lead to a foul odor.

 

Depending on the extent of the damage, additional repairs may be required. For example, if the drywalls and carpet were damaged to the point where they need to be replaced, those repairs will take place once the underlying areas are dry. Finally, once the home is dried out and restored to its pre-loss condition, the water damage restoration job is complete.    

 

 

By: Mr. Mark Decherd

 

For more information and other articles by Mark Decherd go to:

 

Dryout® Inc.
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907
http://www.dryout.net
239-437-7100

 

Dryout Inc Emergency water damage restoration, drying, deodorization, decontamination, disinfection, mold removal, water damage repair, restoration and reconstruction of commercial and residential properties damaged by fire, water and other disasters by a network of trained specialists, technicians and restoration professionals across the USA and Canada.

 

Water Damage in Indianapolis

Indianapolis is surrounded by rivers, reservoirs, lakes, and creeks – all with the potential to flood area homes and businesses. In addition, frequent storms and driving rain can cause extensive water damage to Indianapolis, Bargersville, Greenwood, Lawrence, Danville, and other Marion County communities. With all this water, water damage in Indianapolis is inevitable. Plus, Indianapolis is not immune to your typical run-of-the-mill plumbing accidents.

 

So, what do you do if you have water damage in your Indianapolis-area home or business? Obviously, prevention is the best policy. While you can’t prevent floods, you can protect your finances with flood insurance. Check with the FEMA.gov or Floodsmart.gov website to determine your risk. According to Floodsmart.gov, “Everyone lives in a flood zone.” The site goes on to say it’s just a matter of whether you live in a low, moderate, or high-risk zone. Once you determine your flood risk, consider purchasing flood insurance.

 

Next, if your Indianapolis home or business gets flooded, a prompt response is of essence. It doesn’t matter if the cause was an overflowing creek, seepage, burst pipe, or other plumbing mishap. If water is present in your home, you’ve got to extract it sooner rather than later. Otherwise, you will have additional water damage and an uninvited guest: mold.

 

Yes, water damage in Indianapolis and other Marion County communities is a major concern to residents and business owners alike. Whether the source of the water is natural or from pipes, water has the potential to cause extensive damage to your property. 

By Mark Decherd

Mold and Mildew in Indianapolis

 

As a resident or business owner living and working in Indianapolis, Bargersville, Marion County, and surrounding areas, you’ve likely encountered your fair share of mold and mildew. Humidity and moisture are mold’s best friends and the Indianapolis area has plenty of that. Mold needs moisture and a food source in order to thrive. When your home or business has high indoor humidity or has suffered from water damage, it is an inviting environment for these pesky organisms. What about the food source? Mold slowly eats away the materials on which it sets up its colony be it drywall, furnishings, wood, or carpet.

 

Humidity Control Helps Control Mold and Mildew in Indianapolis

If you notice mold and mildew spots in your Marion County home, one of the first steps to take is to control the humidity! Humidity control steps that you can take now include:

·        Use exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms to send water vapor outdoors when cooking or taking showers.

·        Have your dryer vent professionally cleaned to ensure that it is not clogged and preventing the moisture from your wet laundry from properly exiting your home.

·        Install a humidity control device if excessive indoor humidity is a problem.

 

Cleanup Mold and Mildew

Depending on the extent of the mold and mildew in your Indianapolis home, you may be able to clean it up yourself. Inspect the home, paying special attention to areas where water collects such as around sinks and appliances, in the basement, and below windows.

 

Promptly Dry Water Damage

Whenever water accidents happen in your home, whether from a plumbing mishap or weather event, a prompt response is a must! Mold takes just 48 hours, sometimes less, to appear. The sooner you mop up, the better.

By Mark Decherd

Water Damage in Indianapolis

Condensation is a Hidden Water Damage Friend

Most of us know that water damage and mold are good friends, almost inseparable. Where you find one, you’re sure to find the other. However, water damage has another friend. This other friend isn’t quite as flamboyant as mold with its telltale black, green, and gray splotches and musty odor. In fact, water damage’s hidden friend, condensation, is practically invisible. But where you find condensation, you often find water damage. From there, guess who else arrives, making for a damaging threesome? Mold.

 

Condensation is a natural process that you likely remember from schools. Water evaporates and turns from its liquid form into its gaseous form. When water goes from its gaseous form back to its liquid form, condensation occurs. You can see evaporation and condensation in action each morning when you take a shower. The hot water from the shower head feels great and helps you get your day off to a nice, clean start. Some of the water goes down the drain while some of it evaporates into steam. When the steam cools and lands on a surface, it condenses back into its liquid form. Look closely at that fogged up mirror and you will see millions of tiny water droplets. If you wipe your hand along the walls, you’ll likely feel the water on the walls.

 

The kitchen is another place where evaporation and condensation take place such as when you’re cooking on the stovetop. The same is true of your laundry room where your hot dryer works hard at evaporating the water out of your clothes.

 

If your home is equipped with an appropriate amount of vents, evaporated water is swiftly vented outdoors and water damage and mold do not appear. However, if your bathroom or kitchen lack exhaust vents or your dryer vent is clogged with lint, the evaporated water has nowhere to go. When it condenses, water droplets cling to surfaces of your home. Over time, water damage occurs. Baseboards may warp, windows may fog between the panes, carpets may be soggy, wallpaper may peel, rust may appear, drywall may soften and crumble, and so on. And you know who always shows up when water is persistently present: mold.

 

In addition to natural condensation occurring in your home, condensation also occurs in or around the home’s appliances particularly those that have compressors of some sort as compression can cause condensation. Pay close attention to refrigerators, air conditioners, furnaces, and water heaters. Many of these appliances have drip pans designed to collect condensate or leaks while others will have hoses that whisk away any overflowing condensate to a drain. These pans should be inspected regularly and drained to ensure that mold is not present and that they are not overflowing and causing water damage to the surfaces below. If hoses are involved, inspect the hoses for leaks to make sure that no condensate is escaping the hose on its way to the drain.

 

Whether condensation originates in a room such as the bathroom or laundry room or is due to condensation that has collected from an appliance, controlling the moisture is the key to ensuring that condensation’s friends, water damage and mold, do not join the party. Start by considering the source of the moisture and then addressing that source to ensure that condensed water no longer forms or is properly whisked away. For example, if the laundry room is moister than expected, your dryer’s vent may be clogged. Another sign of a clogged dryer vent is an excessively long drying cycle. Have your dryer vent cleaned and allow the moisture to move outdoors instead of in your home. If your kitchen has problems with condensation, use the exhaust vent and check to make sure that the vent grill is not clogged with grease. Use the bathroom exhaust vent every time you take a shower.

 

Controlling hidden condensation is a preventative step that must be taken to prevent water damage and mold.

 

By: Mr. Mark Decherd

 

For more information and other articles by Mark Decherd go to:

 

Dryout® Inc.
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907
http://www.dryout.net
239-437-7100

 

Dryout Inc Emergency water damage restoration, drying, deodorization, decontamination, disinfection, mold removal, water damage repair, restoration and reconstruction of commercial and residential properties damaged by fire, water and other disasters by a network of trained specialists, technicians and restoration professionals across the USA and Canada.