We Act Fast In Wilmington After A Water Loss

4/8/2020 (Permalink)

We have the advanced drying equipment necessary to dry out the floors, and carpeting in your home after a pipe breaks.

Who Cleans Up the Water After a Pipe Breaks in My House?

Get the Help You Need from SERVPRO’s Highly Qualified Wilmington Residential Water Damage Restoration Team 

The media covers storm-based water and flood damage relentlessly, but the reality is that most water losses result from aging or broken plumbing, accidental overflows, and appliance malfunctions. When the crisis is confined to your home rather than involving your community or region, you might wonder, is there any company willing to help with a one-household water emergency?

Is It Safe to Let Water Drain and Dry Out on Its Own?

Finding reliable, professional water cleanup in Wilmington is critical to protecting your home’s structure and your furnishings, household goods, and personal possessions. Even the clean water from a supply pipe is incredibly corrosive, powerful enough to cause the following issues, among others, if not removed from your dwelling fast:

• Deterioration and crumbling of drywall
• Warping of wood framing
• Rusting of metal supports and fasteners
• Saturation and weakening of subfloors
• Cupping, crowning, and buckling of hardwood floors
• Bulging and breakdown of ceiling tiles
• Blistering of paint and peeling of wallpaper

What Happens If I Wait A Few Days Before Dealing with Water Cleanup?

Understandably, you might want to take your time when responding to the effects of a water loss. For many other home safety and maintenance issues, common sense dictates that a homeowner investigates options and calls several experts for recommendations and bids. Unfortunately, after a residential water event, pausing even a few hours can result in permanent and irreparable damage.

What Are the Timeframes for Water Damage?

• Minutes to Hours:

Water spreads far from the source, soaking contents and structural components. Painted and finished furniture stain carpets and other floor coverings. Some items like books, pictures, documents, and electronics sustain immediate damage and must be assessed for restoration quickly to prevent ruin.

• Hours to a Day:

Drywall and lath and plaster begin to swell and break up. Wooden furniture warps and upholstery stretches and seams split as padding absorbs moisture. Metal items tarnish and rust. Some molds begin growing in as few as 24 hours.

• Two Days to a Week:

Doors and windows distort, becoming less plumb and failing to open and shut properly, creating security issues. Hardwood warps and newer laminate flooring experiences delamination, separating into layers and requiring removal and replacement. Wet carpeting provides the perfect environment for molds and mildews, which also proliferate on all organic surfaces and in building cavities. 

• Beyond a Week:

Microbial growth continues, causing significant biohazard concerns for the health and welfare of occupants. The structural integrity of your home becomes more compromised day by day. Water cleanup delayed this long becomes more expensive, and you also run the risk of losing much of your furniture, clothing, window coverings, household items, and a broad range of personal items.

How Does a Professional Water Cleanup Company Respond if I Ask for Help?

SERVPRO knows that water emergencies do not occur only during regular business hours. We maintain our answering system 24/7 so you can expect an assessment during the critical first hours after the plumbing or appliance fail. Our managers and technicians master comprehensive training from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), preparing our team to use restoration industry best practices throughout your project. You can expect the following services:

• Expert Assessment of Your Scenario

Why do we take the time to investigate? 

Every home is different, and we must locate utilities, debris, confined spaces, and potential contamination to design a restoration plan that meets all your needs for water cleanup and structural drying.

• Scene Securing and Emergency Services

What does our crew do first? 

• Immediately after our crew chief gives the go-ahead, our technicians address:

• Slip, trip, and fall potential
• Barricading obvious hazards
• Electrical and other utility shut-offs for safety
• Commencement of pumping in water deeper than two inches
• Truck-mounted extraction of standing water

• Moisture Detection, Metering, and Thermal Imaging

Why do we check for hidden water and moisture migration? 

If our technicians do not find and eliminate all trapped and pooled water, the liquids continue to break down building materials and create conditions conducive to mold growth. The data we record also give our Applied Structural Drying (ASD) technicians the information needed when determining drying goals and equipment placement.

• Application of the Principles of Psychrometry

Why Can’t We Just Let Our Homes Dry Out Naturally After Water Removal? 

We all observe drying activity every day. Our hair dries after a shower and dishes dry on a rack. Plants wilt and die if the soil around their roots dries out. Is it vital to pay for structural drying?

Psychrometry is the science of drying. SERVPRO employees know how air, water, and temperature interact to evaporate moisture absorbed by permeable building materials. We manipulate these variables to encourage appropriate drying rates, assisted by dehumidifying equipment. 

• Some things to note:

How do we determine the “normal” moisture content we strive to replicate as we dry structures? 

We test similar materials in an unaffected space of your home or another comparable structure.

Can materials be dried too quickly?

Wood floors are an example of a structural component we must monitor continuously so that drying is steady and even, to avoid distortion, cracking, or shrinkage.

Our mission at SERVPRO of Hockessin / Elsmere is to help the residents of our community to recover rapidly and completely from water damage of any intensity. Call (302) 992-0104 to schedule a speedy assessment and plan for a successful outcome.

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