Guest Post - Complete Checklist: What to Do After a Home Water Damage?

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Doubtlessly water damage is a devastating nightmare for the homeowners. Right from the structural loss to leakage, they experience plenty of things. Hence, when you experience water damage, your main motive is minimizing the loss. There are numerous reasons associated with household flooding that includes:

• Sewer-backup 

• Burst Pipes

• Heavy Rains 

• Malfunctioning sump-pump or so on

With the professional water damage restoration service, you will get the best help in the aforementioned situations. The professionals know the different techniques to overcome the problem of water damage. Aside from it, there are several things that you can consider after experiencing home water damage. 

So, let’s focus on essential steps that you can perform:

1. First, look for your safety 

Your first priority must be your safety. If there is the worst flooding in your house, you should leave your home. Ensure that you will be safe when you come back home to deal with the situation. All you can do is turn off the main power, avoid the contact of aqua and electricity and reach out to an expert like Florida Fire & Flood damage restoration services.

Additionally, make sure that you give preference to protective clothing like wearing a rubber glove, including a boot. Throw all the food from the kitchen if it comes with floodwater. 

2. Take the pictures as much as you can

Before touching anything after damage, click more and more pictures of the damage. Additionally, you can also make a video of home damage. Furthermore, you can make the picture document and show it to the insurance company. If you take the pictures after removing the water, it will lessen the chances of coverage. 

3. Stop and remove the water. 

After considering all the safety precautions, shut off the water sources if possible. Otherwise, you can take help from a professional water damage repair service. If there is a breakage in the sump pump, work on its replacement. By replacing the sump pump, you will prevent an excess of damage to the garage, floor, or basement. 

If the reason behind the water damage is a burst pipe, you can work on fixing the plumbing issue, and it will prevent further water damage to your home. After that, focus on removing the water from your house. You can use the buckets to remove the water and then vacuum to soak the moisture from the carpet. 

4. Call the insurance company. 

It does not matter the reasons behind water damage, and your liability is to call the insurance company sooner. Due to it, they can get an estimated idea of the damage. Make the list of damages of valuable items, physical items, and so on. Due to it, you can mention all the things while proceeding to get an insurance claim. 

There are some chances that your insurance company will reach the home immediately after making the call. In this time frame, you should take essential steps to lessen the water damage. 

5. Call the professional 

How can you forget to call the best and experienced water damage restoration company? After contacting the insurance company, you should call professionals. Their professional team will assess all the damage and then work on making the appropriate plan for accurate repairs of your house. 

6. Remove the humidity 

Now it is time to look for salvageable items and damaged items. Standing water causes various problems. To remove that water, you can use a wet-dry vacuum. This vacuum is easily available in the hardware store. If you want to enhance the speed of the drying process, you can give preference to the dehumidifiers. 

After removing the water, utilize the central-air conditioning to remove humidity if you get the electricity. Floor fans are also helpful for drying the damp areas. For removing the humidity in your home, you may require professional help from the best restoration service. What you can do is contact them and make an appointment. 

7. Figure out the mold 

Mold commenced developing in your home after one day of water damage. Once it starts growing on the walls, it will be harder for you to remove the mold. The Sooner you will take off the items from the water, lessen the chances of mold development.

If mold takes an extreme form, you will have to remove the affected area. It is always advisable to have a professional assessment in your home. The professional team of water damage restoration will use the ideal drying process, and this process will lessen the chances of the development of mold. 

You can clean the surface using a non-ammonia detergent or any other pine oil cleaner. Additionally, with the beach solution, you can disinfect the surface. Make sure that before using the solution on the huge surface, test it on the small area or the item. With the testing, you get an idea of whether this solution causes any staining or not.

8. Secure the property 

As a liable homeowner, your main focus should be securing the property. Use the boards to cover the broken windows and consider the tarp if the room of your home has been damaged. Further, click all the pictures to show that you have done various things for protecting the home against damage. 

If your home is habitable, consider essential precautions to enhance your family's safety and protect them from injury. If there is no connection to electricity, utilize the flashlight while entering dark rooms. In case the home is not habitable, move to any other location instead of staying in a damaged home. You can get guidance from an insurance company regarding temporary housing.

 So, these are eight important steps that you must consider after water damage. If you do not get an idea of where to start, you can take help from professionals contractor. They have the experience of handling various sorts of water damage situations. So, they will repair your home effectively and quickly. 

Final Verdicts

Hence, keep all the information mentioned above in your mind to avoid excess water damage loss. Right from shutting off the main power to wearing protective clothes, check each thing twice. Besides this, you can contact a experts service to lessen your burden.  

 Author Bio: Karl Brown

Karl, a marketing manager at EZ Leak Detection, loves to write about plumbing and HVAC services to make the life of the reader easier. Leakages in your property can be dangerous but not all the leaks are easily accessible. He has given extensive information about water leaks and slab leaks and tips to detect them quickly along with quick solutions to prevent you from inconveniences and health hazards.

 Leakage problems and malfunction of appliances demand comprehensive solutions. Also, regular maintenance is not the thing to be missed for leading a life with zero hassles. Read our recent post related to leakage detection and repair, alerts for HVAC shutdown and how to repair it, and installation of AC and water heater in San Diego.

Common Causes of Power Outages – And What to Do

The average U.S. citizen experiences eight hours without electricity each year from power outages. During brownouts and blackouts, individuals may experience hardships that adversely affect their health and well-being. Most residents rely on electricity to power their medical devices, preserve their food, or pump water into their homes, among many other tasks.

An individual can minimize their loss of vital resources by preparing for outages. After identifying the causes of brownouts and blackouts, residents may identify the best protection resources and techniques for their specific regions.

Why Do Power Outages Happen?

Before identifying the top prevention and response techniques, individuals must explore the common causes of outages. The media discusses many brownouts and blackouts deriving from storms. For example, last year, winter storm Uri made national headlines because of its mass power disruption.

After the storm hit, residents of Texas lost electricity for days. The outage caused hundreds of deaths from freezing temperatures or compromised medical devices. Disaster response professionals tracked the blackout back to an operator error.

Texas’ electric grid operator was unable to manage the system and left millions of individuals without power. Many outages derive from natural causes and human error. Some lesser power outages occur when drivers hit telephone poles and bring down electric wires or transformers.

Other outages come from hurricane-force winds, earthquakes, and lightning. When lightning strikes a transformer, it causes a voltage spike and overloads the electric current. The transformer is an essential component of local energy systems because it moves electricity from power plants to customers.

Energy professionals assess the common causes of outages and develop prevention and response methods to reduce adverse effects. Developing microgrids, installing generators, and preserving vital resources can protect individuals during power outages.

Developing Microgrids

In Texas, winter storm Uri’s adverse outage effects impacted many individuals because of the grid’s size. Professionals can minimize the number of residents affected by outages by developing microgrids. The smaller systems may also use smart technology to reduce the number of human-caused outages.

The systems contain autonomous sensors that track and respond to real-time energy demands. Maintaining a “goldilocks zone” flow of electricity reduces overload on transformers and preserves energy supplies. The technology also assesses potential issues like overheating during storms to inform professionals and minimize outage triggers.

Individuals can also create solar microgrids to minimize the frequency of outages. The system develops electricity using an array of photovoltaic panels and distributes energy using conventional power lines. There are fewer working parts in a solar microgrid, so storms have less of an effect on the system.

Purchasing Generators

Residents and business owners can also minimize the effects of outages by purchasing generators. Before individuals make their purchases, they should calculate their average energy usage by receiving an audit. Then they can determine which appliances are essential and require connections to a generator.

After evaluating a building’s essential power needs, individuals may calculate their necessary generator sizes. Some building owners may need a large inverter, whereas other residents may require portable generators. Once individuals purchase the best generator for their energy needs, they may connect it to the circuit breaker and power their systems and appliances.

Protecting Your Home

Residents and building owners can protect their appliances and resources during outages to prevent adverse effects. Always remember to keep freezers and refrigerators closed to preserve temperature-regulated foods.

As our world becomes increasingly connected, it’s also important to protect household electronics. Power outages are often accompanied by power surges, which can be very damaging for electronics. Backing up devices before potential outages will help prevent the loss of data, and during brownouts and blackouts, individuals should unplug their appliances and devices to reduce surge-related damage risks.

Individuals should reach out to their local energy supplier about heating options in their area during outages. Do not try to heat your home using a gas stove when your power is off. When residents preserve their goods during storms, they can minimize their outage-related complications.

The Benefits of Taking Outage Preparedness Measures

Outage preparedness measures can protect individuals and households during unexpected brownouts and blackouts. You can protect your health and safety by installing a generator or accessing electricity through a microgrid. Residents may also minimize food and electronics waste by protecting their goods from rotting and surge damage.

What To Do When Your House Starts to Crack

Cracked drywall and other signs of structural damage within the home are never an issue that property owners can afford to take lightly. Knowing what to do when your house starts to crack could end up making a world of difference.

Take Action Quickly

Failing to determine the source of a crack as quickly as possible could be nothing short of a disaster. Homeowners who choose to ignore the problem or who fail to take effective steps to address it could soon find themselves faced with more extensive damage and much higher repair costs. Documenting the crack thoroughly, inspecting the home for additional cracks, and calling in the professionals at the first sign of trouble are all steps that should be taken without delay.

Look for Additional Damage

A damaged foundation can place considerable strain on drywall, supports, and other construction materials. While a single crack can be caused by physical damage to a wall or other interior surface, a damaged foundation can typically cause multiple cracks throughout the home. Taking a look around the house and carefully inspecting walls and ceilings for other cracks and signs of visible damage can be well worth the time and effort involved.

Document the Damage

Documenting any cracks that appear within the home would be to your advantage. Taking a few photographs and writing down details about cracks measurements or the date when they first appeared can provide foundation repair professionals, ones like the people who can be found at Du-West Foundation Repair, with valuable information. Being able to accurately determine when structural problems first arose or knowing how long it took for cracks to grow in size can make determining the nature and scope of the underlying problem much easier.

Call a Professional

Few home and property owners possess the tools and technical skills needed to assess the state of their foundation or to conduct any repairs that may be required. Experienced professionals who are able to provide both comprehensive assessments, as well as quality repair services, often prove to be an indispensable resource. Should you notice a crack or have any concerns regarding the state of your home's foundation, calling in professionals is often the best approach to take.

A damaged foundation can undermine the structural integrity of the entire home and taking swift action to deal with the situation will be crucial for ensuring that repair costs do not get out of hand. Knowing what to do when your house begins to crack is never an issue that should be left to chance.  

5 of the Most Expensive Types of Home Damage and What You Can Do About Them

If your home gets damaged, it’s more than just a headache. It can also be a costly problem that drains your bank account and negatively impacts your property value. Here are just a few things to keep your eye on to prevent expensive renovation projects in your future.

House Fires

Fire is one of the most destructive things that can happen to your home. Whether it’s a kitchen fire, heater fire or electrical fire, it can spread within seconds, and the secondary damage from the smoke is often just as bad as the charring flames. Consider fireproofing your property by using fire-retardant materials around the house as well as installing smoke alarms and keeping a fire extinguisher handy.

Ice Damage

Ice can be as costly as fire. In the winter, pipes can freeze and burst, and roofs can enter perpetual freeze-thaw cycles that result in widespread water damage. Things can start leaking. Ice dams can form over your home’s exterior. You’ll need to keep a watchful eye and make sure that any frosty build-ups get shoveled, chipped and removed before they can cause problems.

Hidden Mold

Mold is caused by moisture from things like humidity, roof leaks and poorly-ventilated bathrooms. It can be a very insidious problem that you don’t even notice until it’s already spread, and by then, it’s often bad enough to have caused damage to your home. The good news is that there are several effective methods of mold removal that can banish the spores like they were never there, including antimicrobial chemical cleaners. Companies like 1-800-BUSY-DOG specialize in mold remediation.

Wind and Storms

Wind damage is often outside of your control as a homeowner, but there are things that you can do to mitigate the worst of its effects. For example, you can reinforce your roof to better withstand storms, and you can caulk your doors and windows to form stronger barriers against pressure-changing drafts. You can also take preventative measures like trimming trees and bushes near your home so that they can’t become destructive forces during high winds.

Leaks and Flooding

The basement can flood. The faucets in the kitchen or bathroom can start leaking. Even your heavy-duty appliances can start trickling fluids that later turn into deluges. Leaks are a very common cause of rotted wood and drywall in the home, so if you want to prevent costly repairs, perform periodic inspections of your property.

These are just a few of the most common ways that natural and man-made disasters can damage your home. Part of being a homeowner is being aware of these dangers and doing what you can to prevent them, so take care to be alert, responsible and safe.