Water Damage Mitigation- Portsmouth, NH
Working with a professional water damage mitigation and restoration company can prove to be invaluable. It can save you time and money in the event of a flood or water damage situation. It can also minimize risk of other hazards such as mold. Unfortunately, when it comes to water damage in the home, many people feel they can take on the task themselves. A do-it-yourself attitude is a great asset, but it can sometimes work against you. This was the case with one Portsmouth, New Hampshire (NH) couple who recently hired Soil-Away to perform water damage mitigation services.
Overnight, the refrigerator water line broke. Instead of feeding the ice maker, the hose was now feeding the kitchen floor and basement with a steady stream of water. Gallons of water seeped into the wood floors in the kitchen. The insulation in the basement ceiling was soaked. Puddles formed on the concrete basement floor. The Portsmouth couple woke up the following morning to find the mess. Their first reaction was correct to shut off the water. Next was to start cleaning up the flooded areas. Their own version of a water damage mitigation processes consisted of mops and shop-vacuums. They sopped and sucked up as much water as possible. They set up a couple window fans and a box-store dehumidifier. By late morning everything seemed to be OK.
Two days passed after the water damage. The couple started to notice the wood floor in the kitchen starting to buckle. They were now concerned. Not knowing what to do, they called their insurance company to put in a claim. The insurance company connected them with the water damage mitigation team at Soil-Away. A water damage restoration project manager arrived the same day to inspect the damages. A moisture meter detected elevated moisture content in the floors and subfloor. Additional water damage mitigation services were needed immediately.
A water damage mitigation crew was dispatched to the Portsmouth house later that afternoon to try and save the wood floors. Soil-Away setup their specialized floor-drying system. This consisted of mats to cover the affected areas. The mats were connected to an air mover which concentrated air flow on the wood. In the basement, the flood cleanup crew removed the wet insulation from the ceiling. They setup a drying system that would remove excess moisture from the wood structure. The warmth generated from Soil-Away’s dehumidifiers in the basement would rise through the kitchen floor to help dry it as well. After three days of the drying equipment running, all the affected areas met dry standard. The cupping of the wood floors had settled back down. There was no need to remove and replace the floor. The Portsmouth couple was very pleased.
In this case study, the delayed effort to call in a professional water damage mitigation and restoration company almost cost these Portsmouth homeowners their kitchen floors. When a property sustains water damage or flooding, it is always a good practice to have it inspected by an IICRC certified firm. If building materials are left wet or have elevated moisture for an extended period of time it can create problems. A certified water damage mitigation firm, like Soil-Away, will be able to identify all affected areas and execute an efficient dry-out plan.
