Water damage
Restoration Austin TX
Water damage can cause a lot of problems for your property, from ruined belongings to structural damage. If you’re dealing with water damage, it’s important to call in a professional restoration team as soon as possible to minimize the damages. At Asbestos Removal Austin, we offer comprehensive water damage restoration services that will get your property back to its original condition. We have years of experience in the industry and use the latest technologies and equipment to get the job done quickly and efficiently. Contact us today for more information or to schedule a consultation.
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Water damage restoration is the process of identifying and repairing any water-related damages to property. From floods or some other type of natural disaster causing chaos in the neighborhood, all the way down to something simple like a pipe bursting in the walls upstairs, there is a specific designation of water damage given to the situation at hand. In fact, the IICRC, or Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification has laid out 3 different types of damage depending on the root cause.
Clean Water Damage, or Category 1, is considered to be the least problematic of all. Whether something silly like an overflowing bathtub has soaked your floorboards and leaked into the walls, or something a little more severe like a burst pipe has caused moisture buildup in your ceilings, you can rest assured that it could be much worse. This is because this type of water if free of nasty things like sewage and toxic chemicals. If we act quickly, these types of issues can normally be dried out easily without need for further, more invasive methods.
Grey Water Damage is called Category 2, and is slightly more of an issue. This is water that has been treated with chemicals or has small amounts of waste within, like the water you’d find in a sump pump or even a (clean) toilet. Contact with this type of water is not necessarily harmful per se, but any items or areas affected by this type of damage must be removed or disinfected immediately to avoid health hazards later in the future.
Black Water Damage is the most severe, and is considered Category 3. Anything from sewage to river water and ground water falls into this category, and you’ve got to act quickly to avoid serious health hazards in your home. With this type of damage, not only must we remove all objects and dry out all affected areas, we also have to disinfect the main areas to stop any harmful molds or mildews from growing.
It’s important to know how to prevent water damage from happening in the first place. You can keep your home safe by making sure there are no leaks around pipes, valves or joints where they meet or join together; this includes cracks in pipes hidden behind walls and under sinks as well! It may seem like an easy task but, sometimes we overlook these spots because our focus has been elsewhere during a repair job.
You can also use the following method to determine if there are any hidden leaks in your plumbing. First, shut off all faucets and appliances such as dishwashers or water dispensing refrigerators. Then, go out to your water meter and see if it moves at all. It you see the gauge moving, in all likelihood you have a fast leak. If you don’t see immediate change, wait a couple hours and take another look. If you see any movement in the gauge after turning off your home’s water, then it’s possible that a slower leak is present somewhere in your plumbing. Keep in mind that the leak may even be underground!
A home is not only a great place for humans to live, it’s also an ideal place for other, less friendly organisms to thrive. Agressors like mildew, mold and insects can cause devastating damage that could potentially lead to you losing everything in your house including valuable documents such as insurance policies or important family archives like photographs.
It can be difficult to stop the growth of mold in your home. But, there are some things that you can do before it becomes an issue and possibly produces harmful toxins for everyone living with them inside their house or apartment building! One thing we recommend is getting rid if any moisture sources by cleaning up wet towels/clothes immediately so they quickly dry out.
The first step in keeping your home’s air healthy and clean is to keep the humidity levels below 50% at all times. This can be achieved by using a dehumidifier or air conditioner. You can purchase a humidity meter at any home improvement store such as Home Depot, which will quickly tell you if you need to make any adjustments. We recommend checking your levels more than once a day, since they will change depending on the weather.
Air flow is another important aspect of your home that many people overlook. Exhaust fans must be used to push air out of wet areas like the kitchen and bathroom to the exterior of the home. Another area that must be well-ventilated is your clothes dryer. Whenever you clean your bathroom and kitchen, we recommend using products that kill mold. There are a number of non-toxic ways to do this is you prefer avoiding the use of harsh chemicals in your home.
The first sign of water damage is a musty or mildew smell. You should also begin to see signs on your ceilings or walls, like sagging plaster and discolored paint. You’ll typically be able to quickly determine where the water is coming from, such as damage in your ceiling being caused by overflow from an upstairs bathtub (or other source). Another dead giveaway is moisture in the walls around windows where a leak has formed in the seal.
If you find water stains on your ceiling, walls or furniture then it’s time to take immediate action. These signs of moisture damage can be caused by many things including leaks in pipes and plumbing fixtures as well as failed air conditioning systems that result from humid conditions (which are most common during summer months). We recommend completely drying out your home within 24-48 hours of noticing damages to avoid the more serious issues that can quickly arise.
Water removal and drying process in water damage restoration is the most important aspect of the restoration process. After a flood, mold can quickly grow on any wet surface due to humidity levels rising. This is inevitable without mitigation, because there will always be some amount of moisture left behind following these disasters; this makes it imperative we remove all traces quickly so they do not cause further health problems or increase building insurance rates for those who suffer losses during storms and similar occurrences.
Removal is performed using extractors such as powerful pumps and vacuum systems. In the case of an area being completely submerged in standing water, a submersible pump is used to remove the majority of the water from the area before continuing on to the next stage. After this, large wet-dry vacuums remove the remaining water that has settled in corners and low areas of the home.
After this, a set of inspections are performed to determine if flooring such as hardwoods or carpets needs to be removed. A moisture meter is also used to detect all affected areas of drywall and wood to see if it is above the ideal limit. At this point, everything that must be removed from the property is removed using careful demolition processes that limit the mess and stop biological hazards from spreading into other areas of the home.
Then the drying and dehumidifying phase of the mitigation can begin. Industrial air mover fans are placed in all high-traffic areas alongside powerful dehumidifiers that remove every last drop of excess moisture from the area. The moisture levels are continuously measured during this phase so the contractor can be certain of when the next phase can begin.
Once they receive the go ahead, the sanitization process is immediately started. Foam sprays or chemical abrasives can be used during this process to make sure that all possible biological hazards are stopped from growing by cleaning the areas as thoroughly as is possible. In the case of especially dangerous health hazards, professionals may use N-96 respirators, gloves, and Hazmat suits. Dangerous materials that have been removed from the building are then removed from the premises to complete the cleaning phase, such as demolished drywall, water damaged cabinets, cabinets, and flooring such as carpet.
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There are many important decisions to make when it comes time for remodeling or renovating your home. One of the most important, and often overlooked, is choosing a qualified and experienced asbestos removal company. Asbestos can be dangerous if not removed properly, so it is crucial to choose a reputable and qualified company like Asbestos Removal Austin. We have years of experience safely removing this hazardous material from homes and businesses throughout the Austin area. Don’t take chances with your safety – call us today for a free consultation!