Don't Wait! Procrastination Can Lead To Floods!

9/25/2020 (Permalink)

What these homeowners thought a leak that was no big deal resulted in extensive water damage.

If you live in Columbus and this situation happens to you, here are a few things you should know about flood damage. Water can damage anything it comes into contact with, even if the water is clean. Pure water can easily become contaminated by things in your home. Flood damage, just like water damage, gets worse the longer it is allowed to remain present.

Water flowing down your stairway and gushing over the sides can accumulate in many different locations in your home. Water travels downhill, but it also can spread out and cover more surface area when covering something in a horizontal manner, such as it would on a table. Wood absorbs water much more slowly than your carpet, upholstered furniture, or mattresses can, but wood can still soak up enough to be damaged by it.

The water involved in a broken water line is clean, of course, but that does not mean that the water will remain clean. Carpeting, even in the most meticulously kept home, contains many contaminants. Water can whisk that up and carry it along, dropping different things here and there along the path of least resistance. When those same contaminants remained trapped in your carpet's fibers, they did little damage, but now they are free. Contaminants can include microbes such as bacteria and even parasites that may have been inactive until they were immersed in water.

Flood damage can happen with water of any type, clean or utterly filthy. Leaving clean water standing is obviously not conducive to remaining in your home, and SERVPRO can remedy that quickly with a pump truck. However, simply extracting visible water is not enough. Damaged walls must be replaced with new ones, and upholstered furniture must be completely dried and possibly aired out. Your carpeting may need to be removed, and new carpeting installed or, perhaps, cleaned extensively and then dried well. Most often, though, carpeting is usually destroyed by flooding, even if the water was from a clean source.

Because flooding creates a situation in your home that is hazardous to your health and safety in numerous ways, having professionals who are experienced in the complicated cleaning up this type of damage is critical. Incorrect methods, or incomplete ones, can create more harm, not less, in the future. Allowing flooded areas to remain contaminated because they cannot absorb any water, such as the undersides of cast iron tubs, puts your family at risk. Each SERVPRO technician treats your home with respect and care they would pay for their own, and we always take the time required to ensure that each job is complete and done correctly.

SERVPRO of Northwest Columbus is always ready, day or night, to help you take the sting out of flood damage. We know flooding happens without warning, that's why we are always ready to take your call.