Water damage comes in all sizes and scales depending on how and when it happened. Sometimes a toilet gets backed up, causing water to leak along the floor and potentially soak in the carpet. Other times, a pipe ruptures inside the house and causes severe flooding throughout a room, requiring extensive teardown and reconstruction work for a proper restoration. But the amount of water in a flood doesn’t always correspond to how severe a situation is, and sometimes a seemingly-benign leak can become a major issue. There are a couple of factors that go into determining how severe a water damage case is, and the amount of work involved to bring the area back to its original state.
One primary factor is the duration of the leak. Not all water damage is fast and furious; oftentimes, a leak can go undetected while it causes problems unseen, only to be noticed when substantial damage has already occurred. In situations like this, the extent of the water damage must be carefully analyzed before starting any type of restoration work. Moisture may have seeped into the padding of carpets, into the wooden beams or wicked up the drywall, and in all of these scenarios, mold damage is possible if the water has been around longer than 48 hours. Professional technicians typically utilize infrared sensors to create a moisture map that will fully identify all of the wet spots and isolate them for proper restoration.
On the other hand, if a leak has just started, preventory steps can be taken to minimize a lot of the factors listed above. Furniture can be moved and the source of the water can be cut off to minimize moisture from spreading, and as long as extraction is performed quickly enough, mold should not be a factor. With any emergency situation, always make sure that everyone is safe first before starting to address the problem.
Another important factor is the type of water that’s leaking. Let’s say that a pipe burst in your home, and it’s a line that goes to your washing machine. Since the water used there is clean, the threat of contamination is not there, leaving only the problems of water extraction and restoration to deal with. On the other hand, if a pipe in the kitchen or bathroom breaks, there may be issues with contaminants in the water due to particles, debris and human waste. Since the water is potentially toxic, handling the situation by yourself may not be advisable in this case. Leave any type of decontamination work to the professionals and make sure you stay safe from the source of the leak.
In larger-scale cases where “dirty water” is involve, restoration can become quite extensive and hazardous if left unaddressed for too long. Even a small toilet leak where only a bit of water is involved can grow into a huge restoration job if it goes unchecked for a day. If you’re not sure how severe your water damage case may be, call a professional restoration firm first and speak with a qualified technician on the phone to get a general idea of what to do until they arrive.
If you’re in the Pasadena area, Trojan Carpet Care is not only a carpet cleaning company but also a full-service Pasadena water damage restoration firm. With years of experience in the water damage and carpet cleaning industries, Trojan has a strong reputation for being details-oriented and prides itself on excellent customer service. Contact us anytime for an estimate or for questions: (626) 393-5965
This article was brought to you by Superior Restoration, a Corona water damage firm. Superior Restoration has been in the industry for over 10 years and is family-owned, serving the entire Inland Empire area.
