Top 3 Facts About Water Damage Restoration!
One of the services that Anderson Brothers Cleaning & Restoration specializes in is water and flood damage restoration. We are restoration experts that have helped 1000s of families and business owners get their lives back to normal. For 50 years we have served residential and business owners in Kalamazoo, Portage, Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Ada, Holland, and Southwestern Michigan.
Due to the massive amount of flooding that Michigan residents have experienced, we have focused most of our education and awareness efforts on answering common questions we are asked and explaining why it is important that you hire professionals to safely remove the water and restore your home or business to pre-flood conditions.
Continuing on with our quest to educate you, the purpose of this article is to reveal the top 3 facts about water damage restoration.
If you have a water damage emergency call Anderson Brothers Cleaning & Restoration. We are water damage and flood damage restoration experts serving residential and business owners in Kalamazoo, Portage, Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Ada, Holland, and Southwestern Michigan. Peace of mind is just a phone call away, call 1-800-968-2453!
Fact #1: The First 48 Hours Are Critical!
The first 24 to 48 hours are critical because this is all the time mold and other microorganisms needs to begin growing and thriving.
Five conditions are required by fungi and bacteria to germinate, grow, amplify, and disseminate:
- Organic food source, especially cellulose (e.g., paper, wood), which are found in abundance in construction materials.
- Moisture, even high humidity (67% RH plus)
- Moderate temperature – 68-86°F/20-30°C
- Stagnant air
- Time – several hours to several days.
Water damage restoration has two main goals.
First, to restore the home to pre-loss condition.
Second, to prevent the onset of mold and other microorganisms.
In order to accomplish these goals, you need to take action immediately. These are the action steps.
- Contact Anderson Brothers Cleaning & Restoration immediately to begin the removal of excess water. Once the excess water is removed, we can deploy drying equipment, dehumidifiers, and air movers, which will be effective at preventing mold growth.
- Contact your insurance company to begin the claims process.
Fact #2: The Longer The Water Sits The More Dangerous It Can Become!
Time is also so critical because the bio-hazard level of the water can change.
There are three hazard levels.
Category 1 Water, also known as clean water, is not considered hazardous because it originated directly from a sanitary source such as a broker water supply line, melting ice or snow, rain water, and/or uncontaminated tub or sink water.
Category 2 Water, also known as gray water, is a health concern because the water originated from a contaminated source such as discharge from dishwashers or washing machines, toilet bowl overflows (urine, no feces), seepage due to hydrostatic pressure, and sump pump failures. Gray water has bacteria present that carries nutrients for microorganisms that cause sickness and discomfort when consumed.
Category 3 Water, also known as black water, is the worst level of water contamination because the water originated from sewage, rising flood water from rivers and streams, and ground surface water flowing horizontally into the home. Black water can cause death and sickness because it can be contaminated with E. Coli; Acanthamoeba; Salmonella; Helicobacter pylori; Leptospira; Cryptosporidium; Giardia; Hepatitis A Virus; Clostridium Tetani; and Adenoviridae. Illnesses caused by black water include gastroenteritis; Weil’s disease also known as Leptospirosis; Hepatitis; acute respiratory illnesses; and tetanus.
The problem with standing flood water is that the risk of bio-hazard increases as time passes. In short, after two to three days, clean water can turn to gray water, and eventually black water as bacteria and pathogens begin to grow and proliferate.
Fact #3: The Restoration Plan Depends On The “Class of Destruction”!
The immediate inclination of most property home owners is to begin the clean up process themselves and if you do, please take precautions because micro-organisms enter the body through direct contact or by breathing in contaminants. For this reason, always wear protective clothing, rubber boots, gloves, eye, and respiratory protection.
In order to avoid long term health, structural, and mold concerns, hire Anderson Brothers Cleaning & Restoration because we have the experience and training to restore your home to pre-loss condition.
We understand that not all water damage restoration projects are the same!
When we are formulating the action plan also known as a scope of work, we will assess the hazard level of the water and also determine the extent of destruction to create a sensible plan of action.
There are four distinct classes of destruction:
- Class 1 Destruction: The lowest and easiest to deal with, this has a slow evaporation rate. Only part of a room or area was affected, there is little or no wet carpet, and the moisture has only affected materials with a low permeance rate, such as plywood or concrete.
- Class 2 Destruction: With a fast evaporation rate, this level affects an entire room, carpeting, or cushioning, the wetness has wicked up the walls at least 12”, and there is moisture remaining in structural materials.
- Class 3 Destruction: This class has the fastest evaporation rate, and ceilings, walls, insulation, carpet and sub-floors are all saturated. The liquid may have come from overhead.
- Class 4 Destruction: This class is labeled as a specialty drying situations, which means there has been enough liquid and time to saturate materials with very low permeance, such as hardwood, brick, or stone.
Other reasons you should hire Anderson Brothers Cleaning & Restoration include the following:
- We have specialized equipment to pump out excess water, commercial grade dehumidifiers and air movers.
- We have the knowledge to properly determine the class of destruction and category of water to put together a scope of work (ie. plan of action).
- We will assess structural issues caused by the water damage, which could have long term safety and property value consequences if not fixed properly.
- We advise you on what contents can be cleaned and what needs to be thrown out.
- We create a drying and monitoring strategy using air movers and dehumidifiers.
- We create a sanitizing plan to ensure a healthy living environment.
In addition to using the services of a professional restoration company, we also recommend that you hire a third party environmental firm to perform post-remediation verification tests on the air quality to assess the mold spore count and sewage contamination tests if the flood water had category 3 water. These tests should be performed before any reconstruction occurs because it will provide you with verification that the water damage restoration was done properly. There is a cost to post-remediation verification, but it is well worth the investment for peace of mind that the work was done properly. Long term, this final step could save you thousands of dollars and future headaches because if any moisture or bacteria is present after the rebuild is complete, much of the reconstruction will eventually need to be torn down, particularly if there is mold.
Got Water Damage Questions?
Still have questions? We are here to help! Contact Anderson Brothers Cleaning & Restoration, serving consumers and business owners in Kalamazoo, Portage, Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Ada, Holland, and Southwestern Michigan. Peace of mind is just a phone call away, call 1-800-968-2453!
For Immediate Water Damage and Flood Damage Assistance Call Your Local Office!
In Kalamazoo/Portage, MI call 269-327-9950
In Grand Rapids/Ada, MI call 616-949-2453
In Holland, MI call 616-399-8484
In Battle Creek, MI call 269-963-6989
Anderson Brothers Cleaning & Restoration serves Southwest Michigan, call 1-800-968-2453
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