Water Damage Answers

Do-it-Yourself Water Damage Cleanup

Water damage doesn’t take long to occur when water is left to accumulate in your home. In fact, time is of the essence and even if you call a water extraction company, you will likely want to start the process. Whether you have a small, do-it-yourself water damage cleanup job or want to get a jumpstart in mopping up before professional help arrives, the process consists of the following steps: cleanup, extract, treat, and dry out.

 

Water Damage Cleanup

Step number one is to stop the water from flowing and start cleaning it up. Take all necessary safety precautions including turning of the power and wearing gloves and other protective equipment. Use mops, towels, and other absorbent items to remove standing water. You will later do a more thorough job of extracting the water. For now, you’re in damage control mode. Remove items such as furniture, rugs, and electronics that could be damaged by the water. Wipe down the walls, removing any debris that may have accumulated. Again, later you will do a more thorough job of cleaning and disinfecting these areas.

 

Water Extraction

Once the area is cleared and it’s safe to turn on the power, you will need to do a more through water extraction job. Use a wet-dry vacuum to extract as much water as possible. If the water has soaked through the carpet and down to the pad, you will need to remove the carpet and extract water from both the carpet and the pad. In fact, you will most likely need to replace the wet pad. If you must go to this extreme, you may need a carpet installer’s help in replacing the pad and reinstalling the carpet.

 

Clean and Treat Affected Areas

Once you’ve extracted as much water as possible, it’s time to clean and disinfect the affected areas. Use disinfectants because no matter how clean the water source, contamination is likely, especially if carpets are involved. Naturally, if sewage was involved, disinfecting the affected areas is a must! Floodwaters are also extremely contaminated, carrying with them fertilizers, animal feces, chemicals, and other contaminants. Pay special attention to ALL areas that came in contact with the water including walls, baseboards, flooring, cabinets, furnishings, and other items. Everything must be thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated.

 

Dryout the Area

Finally, the entire area must be dried out. Open windows and use blowers, fans, and dehumidifiers to dryout the area completely. This step is crucial and should be started promptly. The longer the area remains wet, the more likely it is that mold will arrive. The clock is ticking, so work quickly and efficiently during the first steps to ensure that this final step can be started as soon as is practical. If you have a partner, split up. While you’re draining the water, have your partner start opening windows and gathering the necessary equipment. Once it’s safe to turn on the blowers, turn them on, even if you are still extracting the water.

 

Some water damage jobs are small enough for the average homeowner to tackle while others are simply better left to the professionals. In either case, a prompt response is the best response! If you can handle the job, get started ASAP and do not delay. If the job is extensive and far beyond your abilities, call a water damage company right away. Most professionals in this business understand the urgency of the situation. As you’re waiting for the crew to arrive, and if it’s safe to do so, stop the flow of water and start mopping up. The pros will arrive soon, but your initial efforts may be vital in mitigating the damage.

 

By: Mr. Mark Decherd

 

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

 

Dryout® Inc.
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907

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.

 

Mild Hurricane Season 2009: Breathe a Sigh of Relief (Not!)

2009’s hurricane season thus far has been one of the mildest seasons in the past decade. After suffering through the horrors of hurricanes such as Katrina and Ike, the Atlantic Coast was certainly due for a break. While the hurricane season hasn’t produced any monsters this year in our part of the world, the other side of the world was battered this year. For example, while we’ve enjoyed mild weather, in August, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Korea, and China were slammed by Typhoon Morakot, one of many typhoons affecting the Pacific and South China Seas. While we have had a mild storm season, hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons happen somewhere on the globe and they’ll be back with a vengeance before we know it. Don’t become complacent – the hurricanes WILL return!

 

The world’s weather is affected by a Pacific ocean-atmospheric cycle known as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Influenced by trade winds, a pattern of rising and falling temperatures repeats itself in cycles lasting from about three to seven years. The extremes of this cycle are called “El Nino” and “La Nina” with El Nino being the warm extreme and La Nina being the cold extreme. Trade winds heavily influence the surface temperatures of the water, making for an ocean-atmospheric cycle that affects not only the Pacific region but the entire globe.

 

An El Nino event can cause heavy flooding in some areas of the world while causing droughts in others. In the United States, an El Nino event creates warmer winters in the Northeast and Midwest and wetter conditions in the Southwest. In Southeast Asia and Northern Australia, extremely dry conditions are the result with brushfires and poor air quality common side effects. Africa suffers extremes ranging from heavier-than-normal rainfalls in East Africa in the spring and drier-than-normal conditions in South-Central Africa during the winter. When the Pacific Ocean cools, the trade winds strengthen which in turn cause the opposite effects of El Nino and the cycle begins moving toward La Nina conditions.

 

In addition to affecting global rainfall amounts and temperatures, ENSO has an influence on hurricane activity around the world. During the El Nino phase, the northern Atlantic experiences fewer hurricane activities in general while more hurricanes are generated during the La Nina phase of the cycle.

 

According to the Jet Propulsion Lab, the Pacific Ocean switched from La Nina to El Nino in May 2009. Because this year’s Atlantic hurricane season occurred during an El Nino event, it was mild. This particular El Nino event is currently weak but expected to strengthen and persist through the 2009-2010 winter” according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center with “a moderate strength El Nino most likely during the winter.”

 

Phew! So that means that we can breathe a sigh of relief. With an El Nino, hurricane activity in the Atlantic is mild. Not so fast. 2009 may have been a mild year for hurricanes, and time will tell for 2010’s hurricane season. However, complacency is a recipe for disaster. Hurricanes are powerful beasts that aren’t going to stay in hiding for long.

 

Stay vigilant, stay prepared, and learn more about securing your home against future threats. With mild weather, now is the perfect time to retrofit your home, strengthen your garage door, invest in storm windows, create an emergency plan, put together a disaster kit, and so forth. It’s better to do it now than wish you had done so when you had the chance.  

 

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://dryout.typepad.com/water-damage-answers/
239-437-7100

<A HREF="http://www.dryout.net">Water Damage</A>

 

<A HREF="http://dryout.net/mold_removal.cfm">Mold</A>

 

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.

 

Capture anything you see on your PC screen. Take a "snapshot" of anything with just a click.

Need a copy of that receipt, want to save something you see on your computer; but don’t know how? Software from Digeus Inc. offers a simple straight forward tool that solves this problem, it’s called Snap it.

 

Snap it makes it easy to capture anything you see on your PC screen. Take a "snapshot" of anything with just a click.

 

http://www.digeus.com/products/snapit/snapit_screen_capture_3_5.html

Water damaged properties and ruined belongings

Dryout Inc. offers mold, bacteria and chemical testing solutions to environmental professionals following massive flooding in Georgia and the surrounding areas.

 

Some schools and businesses have been closed as record rainfall amounts have hit the state of Georgia.  Up to 22 inches of rain fell in some parts of Atlanta in September.  The death toll has already reached seven with the latest victim being a young boy.  The governor of Georgia has declared a state of emergency in 17 flood-stricken counties and with the ground already saturated almost the entire state of Georgia is under a flash flood watch. 

 

As the flood waters eventually begin to recede some property owners who venture back into their homes and businesses will discover water damaged properties and ruined belongings.  Fortunately many of the water damaged properties can be saved with proper and extensive water extraction and mold remediation and prevention techniques.

 

Damaged properties not only have to deal with water damage issues, but also environmental concerns ranging from mold growth, sewage contamination and chemical contaminants from the flood waters.  To ensure a safe environment many of these flooded properties will need environmental testing to determine if mold, bacteria, viruses and chemical contaminants are now present in these properties.

 

Dryout® Inc.
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907

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.

Winter Preparations for Avoiding Water Damage: Better Now than Later

 

As the days get shorter and the leaves change color, the realization that winter is right around the corner is never far from your mind. While many of us have visions of curling up with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate by a warm fire or dusting off the ski equipment and hitting the slopes, savvy homeowners are thinking about preventing winter water damage. Sure, winterizing your home is a chore, but it’s a chore best done sooner rather than later. After all, preventing water damage from occurring in the first place will save you the heartbreak and expense of winter water damage.

 

Outdoor Winter Weatherization Steps

Get out those shears! It’s time to trim your trees, paying special attention to dead branches. Heavy snow and ice as well as strong winter winds can break trees and tree branches which can damage your roof or siding, break windows, or damage your car as well as potentially injure someone.

 

Once the trees have been cut back, get out the ladder and clean out your rain gutters. When rain gutters are clogged with debris, ice dams can form. When this happens, melting snow and ice doesn’t get diverted down the spouts as designed; rather the melted water seeps into the house, dripping through its walls and ceiling.

 

On a similar note, check the tracks of all windows and sliders to make sure that the tracks and water drainage holes are clear. If water, ice, or snow cannot flow through properly, the water will seep into your walls.

 

If your home has a crawl space, head underneath your home and check to be sure that all exposed pipes are properly insulated. If not, use pipe insulation to wrap your pipes. Do the same for any outdoor hose bibs.

 

If you have a pool or spa, hire a pool professional to winterize your system.

 

Indoor Winter Weatherization Steps

Now it’s time to move indoors. Because frozen pipes are one of the main causes of winter water damage, pay special attention to your home’s pipes. All exposed pipes should be properly insulated. Common areas where exposed pipes can be found include unfinished garages, basements, mud rooms, and laundry rooms. While you’re at it, inspect these pipes for cracks and leaks.

 

Check and upgrade the insulation in your home, particularly in your home’s attic. A poorly insulated attic allows too much heat to escape which can then cause a vicious cycle of melting and refreezing snow on your roof. This cycle can lead to ice damming which has the potential to cause water seepage or even a collapsed roof. Well insulated homes with insulated walls, crawl spaces, attics, and basements are less likely to have issues with frozen pipes.

 

Now is a good time to have your heating system, fireplace, chimney, and wood-burning stoves professionally serviced to ensure both safety as well as functionality. You don’t want to find out that your furnace is broken when it’s freezing outside. When the temperatures fall, heat the home and keep it at least 65 degrees.

 

Locate your plumbing system’s shutoff valves and make sure that you can shut off the water quickly should your pipes burst. If necessary, keep a pipe wrench nearby for valves that are not easily adjustable or replace the valves.

 

Now that you have the house prepped to prevent water damage this winter, you’re almost ready to hit those slopes. But before you leave for an extended ski trip, make sure to prepare your home for the possibility of water damage while you’re away! Keep the home heated, open under sink cabinets to allow warm air to reach the pipes, and allow your faucets to drip. If you’ll be gone for a long time, consider having your water system completely drained by a professional.

  

By: Mr. Mark Decherd

 

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

 

Dryout® Inc.
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907
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.

 

Windows and Doors Don't Leak, Right?

 

Wrong! Windows and doors do leak. Not only can water enter your home through its doors and windows, heat can escape. Both situations are costly and both are easily addressed.

 

Why should you seal your doors and windows? Water entry through doors and windows causes unnecessary – and expensive – water and property damage. For example, during a windy rainstorm, water can enter your home through the tiny gaps surrounding your door. This water then can ruin your flooring and everything it comes in contact with including baseboards and the feet of your furniture. Even if you catch it in time and mop up the mess before the damage occurs, preventative measures such as installing weather stripping would have saved you the hassle.

 

In addition to allowing water in, your doors let the indoor air out. A typical home loses about 11% of its heat through doors – even more if the doors are in poor condition. Sliding glass doors lose even more due to the poorer insulation properties of glass. Likewise, windows are another area where heat escapes. Because heating and cooling your home is expensive, it makes economic sense to minimize air and water leakage.

 

Seal or Replace Doors and Windows?

Depending on the age and condition of the doors and windows in your home, you may want to replace these fixtures. For example, if you have single paned windows, an upgrade to double paned “insulating glass” windows is a worthwhile investment.

 

Bent doors generally should be replaced as it’s difficult to seal them properly. When replacing doors, consider fiberglass or insulating metal doors over wooden doors as they are better at reducing heat loss and have lower maintenance requirements.

 

If your windows and doors are in good overall condition but simply leak, installing fresh weather stripping each year should improve your leakage problems. Weather stripping comes in several forms including vinyl weather stripping, thin spring-metal weather stripping, foam rubber weather stripping, and even magnetic weather stripping (for metal doors). These materials are readily available at hardware stores and relatively easy to install.

 

While you’re at the hardware store, pick up a few tubes of caulk and a caulking gun (if you don’t already have one). Use the caulk to seal the tiny cracks and gaps around the windows.

 

Double Paned Windows and Condensation   

If you have double paned windows, these windows feature two panes of glass with a small gap of air or gas in between. This gap provides an insulating effect, making double paned windows far more energy efficient than their single paned counterparts. However, if you notice moisture droplets or condensation between the glass panes, this means that the seal has broken. The windows become unsightly, mold can grow, and the energy efficiency goes out the window so to speak. Regularly inspect your double paned windows for signs of condensation and call a residential glass contractor for assistance when this occurs.

 

Mold and water damage are often preventable. Take a proactive approach to combating these problems by inspecting and sealing your doors and windows. Once the home is sealed, pay close attention to excessive indoor moisture because a well-sealed home also traps moisture inside. Use kitchen and bathroom exhaust vents when cooking or bathing to ensure that moisture is routed outdoors.

 

 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://dryout.typepad.com/water-damage-answers/
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.

 

 

House smell funny? Pipes Corroding? Health issues ? Time for CHINESE DRYWALL TESTING

Chinese Drywall”, also called odorous gypsum wallboard, is an emerging issue in the IAQ community. The material, which has been identified in new and remodeled homes in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and reported elsewhere, has--been determined to emit chemicals that cause characteristic sulfide odors, black discoloration of metal fixtures, electrical components, and domestic water piping, as well as black sulfide corrosion of HVAC components leading to failure.

There are also reports of health effects associated with the material. The selection of the most appropriate analysis approach to determine the source or the sources of the sulfur-based odor in the sub-par drywall is still controversial.

Dryout Inc. offers a panel of tests that covers a range of issues associated with the odorous drywall problems. The elemental analysis of the bulk drywall is performed to determine the concentration of impurities (such as iron, strontium, magnesium, phosphorus, chlorine) in a direct comparison with samples of domestically-produced drywall tested negative for all the problems associated with the “Chinese drywall” syndromes.

The exact identity of the compounds formed by these elements is still under investigation; however, SEM/EDX analysis of selected impurities extracted from the odorous drywall revealed the presence of sulfur in association with Fe and Sr, indicating the presence of possible pyrite (FeS2) and strontium sulfide (SrS).

These compounds could decompose in hot and humid conditions. SrS, for example, slowly releases H2S in moist air. It is speculated that the presence of these compounds in low concentrations as impurities is related to mined gypsum.

X-ray Diffraction (XRD) is used to determine the crystalline components in the samples. Off-Gas Sampling by GC/MS is a method that directly addresses the odor associated with the problem. Samples of the gases collected from wallboard samples in the laboratory via environmental chamber approach consistently showed elevated levels of carbon disulfide and carbonyl sulfide.

Corrosion propensity of the odorous drywall is performed in simulated corrosion experiments performed in a laboratory using drywall that was tested positive for sulfiir-containing gases. The simulated corrosion testing showed variable time-frames for developing the black copper corrosion process.

In accelerated conditions, the advanced corrosion in the form of black films of copper sulfide developed on the surface of copper coupons in as fast as 13 days of exposure at 95% humidity and 98°F. In gentler exposure conditions, the corrosion was less advanced and it developed in 6-8 weeks of exposure.

The microbiological analysis covers the approach where the sulfur odors may be produced when certain aerobic and anaerobic bacteria utilize certain molecules for growth. Therefore, endotoxin analysis for gram negative bacterial contamination and sulfur reducing and iron related bacterial tests are recommended.

By: Mr. Mark Decherd

 

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

 

Dryout® Inc.
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907

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.

Dryout Inc.’s Founder Saves Over $7500 Per Year by Switching Insurance Carriers

Warren Buffet believes that most people can save up to 40% on their auto insurance policies by switching to Geico and he says so on the Berkshire Hathaway Web site. Having heard this message and inspired by a recent Wall Street Journal with Buffett further discussing insurance policies, Mark Decherd, founder of Dryout Inc, decided to do a little real world insurance investigating of his own: Was it possible that his own mortgage company, Chase, had steered him to insurance policies with high premiums? According to Decherd, “I had let Chase place homeowners and flood insurance policies for me, never realizing how much I was overpaying.”

 

Though convenient, by not shopping around on his own, Decherd later discovered that less expensive policies, with higher coverage amounts, were readily available. It took a bit of groundwork and a couple of surveys costing about $250, but soon thereafter, Decherd discovered that he could save thousands of dollars per year by switching insurance carriers.

 

First, Decherd ordered two surveys for the property for the flood and homeowners insurance: an elevation certificate ($200.31) and a uniform mitigation verification inspection ($50.00). Decherd called three agents including a local broker at Avalon Insurance. In the end, the results were astounding. His original homeowners insurance policy issued by American Security Insurance Company cost $4932.16 per year while Avalon Insurance quote a policy from Gulfstream Property and Casualty for $2968 with similar deductibles and significantly more coverage.

 

That’s $1964 in savings each year, but the savings don’t stop with Decherd’s homeowner’s insurance policy. His flood coverage, also placed by Chase and provided through the American Security Insurance Company, went from $2320.65 per year down to $367 per year for the same coverage. “By switching from Chase’s recommended homeowner’s and flood insurance policies, I will save over $3900 per year,” Decherd said.

 

Motivated by these savings, Decherd decided to take a closer look at his auto insurance policy. His Progressive insurance policy for a 2007 Suburban cost $4387.44 per year whereas Avalon Insurance was able to issue a Safeco Insurance policy, with identical coverage, for $1598.84 per year – an annual savings of $2788.60.

 

Next, Decherd tackled his commercial auto insurance. Each year, he was paying $4451 for his commercial auto insurance policy issued through Progressive. By shopping around, Decherd now pays $3637.95 and will save over $800 per year for his efforts. “It took a few phone calls, but I’ll be able to keep about $7500 of my hard earned money each year – and I have comparable, if not better, coverage.”

 

Decherd was dismayed to find dramatic differences between insurance policies and came away from his investigation having learned several important lessons. The first, “Don’t rely on the recommendations from your mortgage company. The mortgage company isn’t as interested in saving you money as you are. Pay attention to disclosures and consider getting your own quotes. It wasn’t a big hassle to compare prices and I wish I had checked my policies sooner.” 

 

The second lesson, he said, is that insurance companies don’t want to lose you. “Oh boy, did Progressive try to keep me when I called to cancel,” Decherd said.

 

The third lesson learned: “It pays to shop around.”

 

By: Mr. Mark Decherd

 

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

 

Dryout® Inc.
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907

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.