Water Damage Restoration – Expert Advice On How to Proceed

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Water Damage Restoration – Expert Advice On How to Proceed

Salt Lake City Water Damage Removal

Water damage is every homeowner’s nightmare. It can be caused by natural disasters or even from faulty pipes around the house. Aside from having your supply cut, water spillage destroys property and can even trigger neighbors to report you to the authorities.

If you face water damage, this article will detail expert advice on how to handle the situation:

Check your property for damage

The first step is to check the extent of the incident. Because water can cause unwanted changes in the stability and quality of materials around the house, surface restoration might be the best course of action. When you see the slightest occurrence of damage, a repair is the only solution for your home’s continuous security. Here are several aspects around the house that you should check:

  • Electrical wiring
  • Drywall
  • Wood
  • Plaster
  • Insulation
  • HVAC systems
  • Insulation
  • Pipes
  • Appliances
  • Framing
  • Floor coverings

Should you do it yourself or hire professionals?

Water damage restoration is not an easy task, but it’s not an impossible feat for someone without any knowledge to deal with simple problems. Professional help will be needed, especially if the scope of work is big and complex. Here are several factors you should consider to know whether or not you need to hire professionals to do the job for you:

1. Water Spillage Volume

When the volume of water involved is manageable, you can do it yourself using appropriate home tools. If there is a troublesome amount of flooding, however, the best response is to seek professional help.

For example, a massive problem would be the flooding of your entire neighborhood. If your home suffers from enormous damage, handling its repairs is not advisable. Professionals can expedite quality repair to help you get back to regular daily living. If you do it yourself, you might suffer for a substantial amount of time with all the planning and manual labor.

2. The Source of the Water

Three types of water are typically considered when doing water damage restoration. For every kind of water, there is a corresponding and appropriate protocol. Consider the following:

Clean water: This type of water is not harmful and safe to handle yourself. The source might come from rain or pipe leaks.

Gray water: This is slightly contaminated water that needs precaution when handling by yourself. This type of water can come from dishwashers, toilets, or washing machines with “used” water.

Blackwater: This is the most harmful type of water that can cause hazardous effects on human health. Do not attempt to clean this yourself. It can come from the sewers or flooding from a nearby water source with unknown safety parameters. 

3. The Extent of Damage

When you assess the level of damage, the extent of damage ultimately decides whether or not you need professional help. Light damages would be an easy fix, but significant accidents with hazardous conditions need professionals. For example, water from flooding on the upper level that has seeped through is not something you can’t handle alone.

DIY Water Damage Restoration Expert Advice

After you’ve done your assessment, you can do the water damage restoration by yourself if you act fast. This is because mold can develop on the surface of wet materials as early as 24 hours after contact with water. The step is to disconnect all appliances from outlets. Then, if there are damaged materials, it will be best to throw them out right away.

Next, remove all the remaining water on your property; you can use a dehumidifier to speed up the process. Disinfecting affected areas also helps ensure that mold doesn’t grow. After one week, check the fields for mold growth and call a mold specialist to restore affected surfaces.

Conclusion

You can perform water damage restoration by yourself, only if the extent of the damage is within a nonprofessional’s scope of capabilities. Nevertheless, it is best to seek professional help during times of disasters with a substantial degree of damage, black water involvement, or uncontrollable water spillage volume.

If you are looking for a flood damage repair or water damage restoration service in Utah, get in touch with us today to see how we can help!