How Expensive is it to Restore Water Damages?

6/16/2020 (Permalink)

Water loss events happen. Call SERVPRO should water invade your home.

SERVPRO Works Efficiently to Mitigate Losses and Apply Cost-effective Water Restoration to your Kutztown Home.

Do I need water mitigation or restoration?

A professional restoration company uses both mitigation and restoration to return your Kutztown home to its preloss condition. Mitigation typically occurs in the first few hours of a water emergency, focusing on preventing your home or contents from sustaining further damages. Mitigation procedures could include removing excess moisture from home or setting up dehumidification and drying goals to avoid mold growth. We may also move contents out of harm's way while the structure is drying so that we can apply specific mitigation to items like furniture- blocking furniture to remove it from water exposure is a standard contents mitigation technique. On the other hand, restoration focuses on returning items that were damaged by a water incident to their preloss condition. A typical restoration procedure is to refinish walls or surfaces once they are clean and dry.

What qualifications do professional water technicians need?

To perform effective water restoration in communities like Kutztown, technicians need to undergo hundreds of hours of training as well as having experience working in residential properties. Our technicians hold qualifications from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certifications (IICRC) as a testament to their expertise. Without certifiable quality, you may find that a water restoration project takes much longer than expected or that your home suffers from secondary damages further down the line. SERVPRO are experts at identifying potential water issues, mitigating, and restoring them. By performing these tasks in time and measuring the results professionally, we can protect your home against recurring problems.

How do I measure the extent of water damage?

• Find the source of water and work outwardly noting wet areas or other visible symptoms
• Place moisture sensors on hard surfaces to assess whether water migration has entered wall cavities
• Use a moisture meter to probe semi-porous surfaces or furniture and evaluate the level of moisture content in materials

Are wet building materials salvageable?

When the construction materials used in your home get wet, they can become hotbeds of microbial growth activity. These can cause unpleasant secondary effects like mold growth as well as unpleasant odors. However, most materials are either inexpensive to replace or resilient to water absorption. SERVPRO can use desiccant dehumidifiers, which use a silica gel to remove moisture from the surrounding area. In an enclosed environment like your home, these dehumidifiers can dry the air to below 40 grains (of water) per pound. At forty GPP, the air is dry enough to draw moisture from wet content. We use this method for drying out furniture, upholstery, and textiles as well as gypsum board or subfloor materials. In some situations, there may be water contamination issues. These issues are problematic because they can affect any materials that absorb water. In these situations, technicians may need to remove building materials and replace them entirely. Usually, building materials that we change are relatively inexpensive. SERVPRO technicians continually return and measure the effectiveness of dehumidification drying to ensure our restoration project remains on-time.

How can you produce time estimates for restoration?

When your Kutztown home suffers from water intrusion, it is understandable to want accurate restoration times to allow you to adapt your schedule. Our technicians can accurately predict the length of time it takes to restore your property by performing in-depth inspections at the beginning of service. However, not all restoration is the same, and sometimes outcomes are not as expected. These variables are tough to predict, which is why SERVPRO technicians monitor results at least every twenty-four hours to ensure that our drying strategy is going to plan. Monitoring relies on observation, inspection using tools, and then documenting the changes. The process of control allows us to produce time estimates or to adjust our drying strategy. Strategy adjustments may include using more powerful equipment or removing physical obstacles like drywall to restore cavities.

How can I prevent mold growth after water intrusion?

• Thoroughly dry the affected area and remove any wet contents to a separate area of the home like a garage
• Use a dehumidifier to complete the drying of wet materials and return regularly to measure the dehumidifier's effectiveness and the overall effect on indoor humidity
• Assess wall cavities and subfloor for potential water migration
• Treat the affected area using anti-microbial chemicals. These can include anti-microbial primer, spray-on washing, carpet cleaners and varnishes

There are several ways that water intrusion can transform your home both during and after the event. To mitigate losses and restore your home, contact SERVPRO of Reading at (610) 779-8189.