After water damage from a leaky pipe, rainstorm, or even a water heater, you want to fix them or they’ll get worse.
The problem is that cleaning up and recovering from water damage isn’t as simple as drying it with a towel.
1) Know What You’re Dealing With
Should you read our latest post on comprehending the risks of water harm, then you know that water harm might be caused by 3 different Sorts of water, including:
Clean water (Category I) Gray water (Category 2) Black water (Category 3)
It’s so important to understand the differences because Category 2 and Category 3 are health threats to your you and everyone that lives in your house. The basic rule is that you look at the water color and odor.
2) Be Sure You Investigate All the Damage
The hard thing about recovering from water damages from your water heater is that you can only see a small part of the problem. The the majority of the humidity is concealed in the walls, and it’s tough to spot and dry all the affected areas to avoid mold.
The methods for dealing with it depend on the kind of materials affected and also what’s behind these materials. Drywall can be salvaged, whenever you respond to harm. You can buy humidity meters which enable you to assess structural hold.
In case it checks out then your drying approach depends on wall contents. In case the wall has insulation, you’ll need to use flood cuts. When there’s no insulation, then usually the best method is to produce weep holes. And if you’re dealing with a firewall, you’ll wish to use staggered cuts.
You’ll also want to pull and assess your base molding and flooring materials. If you the floors are carpet, you may be able to pull the moist region and dry it (and the flooring materials with help).
3) Establish Proper Airflow and Maintain the Windows Closed When Drying
Once you discover moisture, your first choice may be to open windows to help with the drying process, but it may not be the best choice. For example, if your building is ventilated, the systems need constant pressure levels to work . You also want to avoid excess coolness or heat and humidity, or you may end up complicating the drying process.
Once you’ve pulled away wet materials and established holes or cuts in the wall as needed, you’ll need one air mover for every 15 – 25 square feet of floor, unless the moisture load and density is particularly high, then you may need more. To prevent mold, make sure all the layers and materials are dry before putting everything back together.
The Big Dry Out
If you’ve experienced water damage, you’re dealing with clean water and a small area. No matter what type of water damage you’re dealing with. And if you have any more questions or need help, don’t hesitate to call us.
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