Water damage can occur unexpectedly and with catastrophic results. Your property can experience water damage due to a plumbing problem, an overflowing bath, or flooding due to bad weather. And when not addressed swiftly, the water can flood the floors, wet the drywall, soak furniture, stain walls and items, and cause electrical damage.
When the water is left to sit for more than 8 hours, it can cause structural damage, such as cracks in the walls or foundation of the building. It can also trigger the growth of mold and mildew, cause unpleasant odor, raise repair costs, and increase the risk of health problems, like asthma.
That is why it is important to call a professional water damage restoration service to help you handle the problem as soon as it occurs.
So what can you expect from a water damage repair professional?
- Respond quickly
Reputable water damage remediation professionals typically have a standby 24/7 emergency response. You won’t surprise or burden them by making that distress call. In fact, the best technicians will arrive at your property within hours of your call.
A swift response will help prevent further damage, including swelling, splitting, and staining of walls, floors, and items. Also, a speedy response will help salvage precious items, which can be removed from the affected areas, cleaned and restored quickly, helping to mitigate losses.
Critically, the technicians will remove the water quickly and prevent potential growth of mold and mildew.
At West Central Equipment and Restoration, we run and operate an emergency water damage restoration service that emphasizes quality and rapid response.
When you call us, we’ll ask you a few quick questions about the damage, source of the damage, condition of the premises, insurance information, condition of electrical circuits within the premises, and availability of electricity around the premises. Generally, we’ll then prepare for the restoration and leave for your premises, arriving within 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Evaluate the damage carefully
A professional restoration service will assess the damage objectively and with a critical eye, unearthing issues that may be difficult to see such as unapparent mold growth. This prevents major problems later on.
When technicians from West Central Equipment and Restoration arrive at your property, you should expect them to conduct a detailed inspection. The inspection helps to identify the source of the water and to stop more water from rushing in.
The technicians will also identify the type of water (category 1, 2 or 3) and check if it is contaminated. Also, they will assess the damage, develop solutions, assess the safety of the property, and debrief everyone involved.
- Protect your valuable items
Water damage technicians know their job and will carry it out carefully to minimize potential damage to various items. So upon arrival, they will quickly take steps to protect the property and facilitate the entire recovery process, such as moving furniture and other property and cordoning off unaffected property.
Expect the professionals to take steps, such as boarding up, roof tarping, and blocking or moving contents, property and furniture. These steps will prevent exposure to chemicals that may be harmful, minimize contact with bacteria from contaminated water, prevent exposure to mold spores that can trigger respiratory problems, and limit contact with compromised electrical systems that may lead to electrical shock.
- Extract and remove excess water
A critical step in water damage remediation is removal of the excess water. In fact, one of the major reasons for working with professionals is their ability to remove excess water quickly and safely to minimize damage to your property.
Expect quality professional remediation services to use powerful equipment such as submersible pumps and industrial-grade extractors to remove the water. The water removal steps used will be methodical and scrupulous to ensure reduced drying time, minimize primary water damage, prevent mold growth, and curb secondary water damage.
After visible excess water is removed, some water will be left hidden within porous materials like wood, drywall and hard-to-access areas within the premises. The professionals will use industrial-grade dryers, blowers, dehumidifiers to remove left-over water and reach an acceptable level of dryness.
- Dry affected areas quickly and efficiently
Expect a professional service to come with the right equipment that will help to dry the affected areas swiftly and effectively. This will ensure that water does not sit longer in the building to cause worse structural damage or mold growth. By manipulating temperature and relative humidity, the professionals will ensure the premises are completely rid of unwanted water and moisture.
- Dispose and restore various items
When the premises are dry, water damage restoration technicians will clean the walls, floors, and other surfaces using a method that is suitable and safe for their surface condition, the kind of water contamination, and extent of water damage.
Then, using special drying techniques, such as drying chambers, they will restore valuable items like documents and fine art, furniture and furnishings, electronic equipment, computers and machinery, and flooring.
But for items that are too damaged to recover or restore, the technicians will dispose of them in a safe and efficient manner.
- Deodorize and sanitize the property
Depending on the type of water your premises have been exposed to, you can expect a serious, persistent, and difficult-to-remove odor to emerge. Therefore, the technicians will prioritize removal of unpleasant odors by deploying special techniques, scrubbers, and fogging.
And to enhance the safety and good health of the occupants, the water damaged property and items are sanitized. The entire premise is treated with a disinfectant to kill pathogenic organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, mold, allergens, and other bio-contaminants
- Carry out repairs and restore the property
Once they are satisfied with the work done so far, the technicians will conduct further testing and monitoring of all the affected areas. You’ll also be asked to review the work completed.
And lastly, the technicians will conduct the necessary repairs to restore the property to its pre-damage condition. For example, they can remove the damaged drywall and replace it with a new one.
Restoration services can also include repainting the walls, rebuilding and reconstructing damaged areas as well as carrying out restorative carpet cleaning and even removing the old and installing a new tile, wooden or marble floors.
Water damage can be tragic when response is not immediate and effective. Having your property restored by skilled, experienced technicians will save you money, limit additional damage, and prevent long-term problems since when done right the first time.
For more information on water damage restoration services in Lecanto, Florida, visit the site “West Central Equipment and Restoration.”
