Water damage is not something to be taken for granted. It does not only put your housing material and comfort at risk, but it also possesses a health danger for you and your loved ones. WHAT IS WATER DAMAGE? Water damages are losses and damages caused by unwanted water penetrating housing or establishment materials such as wood, plywood, and steel. The whole process of water damage can either be slow or fast; both slow or fast will end up to loss of property if not given attention and action. WHAT CAUSES WATER DAMAGE? Water damage has many possible causes. It can be due to broken dishwasher hose, a washing machine overflow, a dishwasher leakage, broken pipes, flood and even clogged toilets. Water damage may start with small spots that will; eventually grow into somethings bigger and while making your materials weaker.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF WATER DAMAGE?
Mold Growth – While mold is needed in the process of decomposing every perishable being, it is not something you want to have in your abode. Mold is fast growing and can cause damage on belongings, cause alleregic reactions, illnesses and can weaken your house’s stability.
Damage wiring, gas lines and other appliances – Water damage doesn’t just attack your house’s structure and build and your health but also your house’s wirings, gas lines and appliances. This becomes a problem because it will cause malfunction to your beloved furnitures. Damaged wirings may also caused fire which creates even more problem.
WATER DAMAGE CATEGORIES: 1. Category 1 Water – This water is usually considered as a non-hazardous and poses very little danger to the people living in the property with this type of water category. It is also identified as clean water. Some of its examples are broken water supply lines, tub or sink overflows or appliance malfunctions that involve water supply lines. 2. Category 2 Water – Also known as Grey Water – this type of water contains a substantial amount of toxins, chemicals, and other contaminants that cause discomfort and sickness when consumed or even just exposed to. Examples of this type of water, are toilet bowls with urine, seepage due to hydrostatic failure, sump pump failures, and water discharge from washing machines or dishwashers. 3. Category 3 Water – Considered as the most unsanitary, Category 3 water is also known as Black Water. It contains harmful bacteria, unhealthy agents, and dangerous fungi. This water when consumed or exposed to can cause severe discomfort, illness or even death. Some of the examples that are under this category include water sources from sewage, flooding conditions from rivers or streams, seawater, ground surface water or standing water. WATER DAMAGE HEALTH THREAT: Water damage usually starts with a slight discoloration around the area with water damage. It may go unnoticed or ignored for some period of time due to the whole normality of discoloration of walls through time. However, molds and other bacterias present in the water damaged are posing a substantial threat to human health and other serious medical consequences. Mold allergy is also one of the most common things to suffer from the existence of water damage in an are. Symptoms caused by mold allergies are itchy eyes or watery eyes, rashes, a constant chronic cough, headaches or migraines, difficulty breathing, tiredness, sinus problems, nasal blockage and frequent sneezing. WATER DAMAGE RESTORATION PROCESS: Water Extraction – the restoration process if the water damaged area starts with extraction. It is done using a power truck that uses a powerful vehicle that is designed to remove hundreds of gallons of water per minute. Water Damage Mitigation – After all the water is removed from the damaged area, the water damage mitigation process follows. It starts off by drying out the area using high-powered, specially designed fans. This process will ensure complete dryness and restoration of the damaged area to its best condition.
WATER DAMAGE CARE TIPS:
Water damage restoration is not a DIY process. It should be done by professionals to avoid further damage and additional problems. However, you can also do the following on your part to make sure you’re not increasing the damage.
Before entering the affected areas:
l Make sure all the power are off.
l Locate the source of water and shut if down if possible.
l Take precaution as walking on wet floor.
Once the affected areas are secured:
l Remove as much water on the area as possible. You can do this by mopping and putting cloths to absorbed the wet parts.
l Wipe each furnitures dry.
l Move all the paintings and other valuable displays on non affected area.
l Take all of the wet floor rugs away from the affected area.
l Open all the drawers and other furnitures that requires opening to further make the drying process faster.
l Remove any damp absorbent materials such as books and magazines and spread it all out to dry.
ULTIMATE “DON’TS” IN WATER DAMAGE:
l Never use any regular vacuum cleaner to absorb water.
l Never use any electric furnitures on the water damaged area. This may cause electric shock accidents that can be deadly.
l Don’t take water damage in the matter of your own hands.
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WHY HIRE A PROFESSIONAL IN WATER DAMAGE RESTORATION?
Despite the internet videos, articles and popular DIYs that makes water damage restoration seems like a DIY type of thing, this problem is best handles by professionals. These are some of the reason why…
- Health risk – If you decided to handle the whole water damage in your own hands solely basing on internet videos, there is a great chance that you’re putting yourself and your loved ones to great health risk. This is because molds are not always visible and nonprofessionals may not notice all of it.
- Hidden problems – Professionals are called professionals for a reason, they know more intricate things about water damage and can spot any areas or parts that may need extra attention and action. Water damage is not always visible and obvious, sometimes it may come from inside walls and furnitures that normal people would find impossible to notice,
