How Can I Stop Severe Water Damage at My Mary Esther House?

9/1/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO has the experienced technicians with the equipment and expertise your home needs after a water catastrophe. Give us a call right away.

With Help from SERVPRO, You Can Reduce Damages from Moisture Exposure and Learn How to Prevent Water Intrusions.

When there is water in unintended areas in your property, various kinds of damages can develop. The intruding water can originate from malfunctioning appliances, broken pipes, or roof leaks. Damages are mostly influenced by the amount of water involved and the time that passes before you take to complete removal. SERVPRO helps avail the necessary capacity to Mary Esther homeowners in terms of skills and equipment to manage water loss incidents.

What should I expect when water damages my home?

A case of water damage in your Mary Esther home can affect almost any systems and materials in your home, but some problems are more common after such incidents including:

• Rotting of wood
• Swelling or delaminating of composites
• Bacteria and mold growth
• Soiling of surfaces and materials

As you have probably figured, some of the problems are readily resolved, while others require replacement or expensive repair of the affected materials. Our SERVPRO technicians provide solutions that can improve the outcome for any type of damage that develops. For instance, our commitment is to reach affected properties within 4 hours. Therefore, when notified of a loss in time, we can perform timely water extraction and moisture control, preventing severe physical damage such as rotting or warping of wooden materials.

Since water intrusion discovery is not always immediate in every incident that affects properties, severe problems may already have developed by the time restoration starts. Our technicians help by using non-invasive methods to probe the loss site and pinpoint the exact areas where materials have deteriorated. For instance, a thermal camera identifies a wet section of the wall or floor cavity without requiring removal of the covering materials. We then use superior techniques for controlled demolition, limiting the destruction done to the property as part of the restoration.

What typically delays the discovery of water damage?

Spilled water is easy to notice on an open surface, such as the floor. However, if the water originates from an enclosed area such as a wall or ceiling space, it might take time to identify. If you are not conversant with the early signs of water intrusion, the damage can develop unabated over an extended period. Some typical signs that can help you identify hidden water intrusions early enough include:

• Walls and ceilings having a spongy feel
• Finishes such as paint or wallpaper bubble or start peeling
• Musty odors
• Stains or patches on surfaces

Delayed detection of water intrusion can also happen if the property is unoccupied during the water spill. Vacationing is one of the main reasons people leave properties unoccupied, and from experience, we have noticed that many water spills tend to happen at such times. Our SERVPRO technicians can give you useful tips that can help limit the chances of water intrusion during your future vacations. Some of the general ideas include:

• Turning off the valve in the main supply line
• Turning up the thermostat but leaving the AC on
• Lowering the temperature of the water or activating vacation mode
• Adding antifreeze to the toilets

Such steps help prevent damage in many ways. For instance, turning off the main supply line eliminates cuts down the amount of water that can be released into the house in case of a leak from thousands of gallons to a minimal amount. Sometimes water damage can originate from indirect water sources such as condensation. Regulating the heat levels in the house by changing thermostat settings ensures that condensation does not happen on the days you are away from your property.

Is it possible to stop damages after the water is released?

Once the water breaches your property, some damages are instant. What you can hope for is to prevent advanced issues. Some advanced problems can develop because of the extended exposure of materials to moisture or improper restoration procedures. For instance, in a couple of days or weeks, wet wood rots or develops physical changes such as warping. On the other hand, rough water extraction procedures can contribute to carpets delaminating. 

Our SERVPRO technicians help expedite water removal processes by using superior water extraction equipment such as wet vacs and water extractors. Removing all standing water within the first 24 hours halts most of the deterioration that leads to secondary damages. We also take precautions to avoid damaging materials during restoration. For instance, we use separate types of wands when extracting water from hard surfaces and carpeted areas. For the hard surfaces, we use squeegee wands, which cannot scratch the surface. 

SERVPRO of Fort Walton Beach has extensive experience dealing with damages caused by water intrusion. Call us (850) 863-2552 to help you restore your home to its preloss state. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.