What is the Safest Way to Restore my Home and Contents after Flood Damage?

9/27/2022 (Permalink)

New Haven's Storm damage needs SERVPRO’s tools and reliability.

SERVPRO Offers Nationally Certified Restoration Experts to New Haven Residents with Flood Damage.

What qualifications are needed to restore property flooding in New Haven?

Certifications can help you identify expert local restorers when you do not have time to do thorough research. Our technicians complete their training by receiving nationally recognized qualifications from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certifications (IICRC) body. Flooding can present considerable challenges to even the most experienced practitioners, which is why certifiable quality is essential to sourcing a good restorer.

Our roster of technicians for flood damage in your New Haven home includes water restorers (WRT), Applied Structural Drying (ASD) experts, odor control (OCT), and applied microbial remediation (AMRT.) We can also provide specialist stone, masonry, and ceramic tile cleaning technicians (SMT) and carpet cleaning technicians (CCT.)

What are the immediate concerns with a flooded property?

• Standing water can exert significant pressure on a structure and need to reduce immediately.
• Stemming water migration can lessen potential damages. 
• Securing a property from unlawful entry and theft
• Waterproofing your home using tarpaulins to prevent further water intrusion
• Bringing down relative humidity to avoid microbial growth issues
• Removing possessions from the reach of floodwaters and placing them in a designated dry room for specific restoration detail
• Acting quickly to control water migration and protecting wall cavities or subfloor from water exposure

How does controlling humidity prevent mold growth?

Microorganisms like mold need three conditions to grow: food supply, temperature, and moisture. A home is full of potential food for microbes, especially wet fabrics, insulation, or drywall. The relative humidity typically rises in a property with large amounts of water in it due to evaporation. To dry a property, we need to encourage evaporation by increasing the temperature, allowing air to hold more moisture than in cooler conditions. The combination of drying efficiently and preventing microbial growth is a fine balance. SERVPRO technicians take regular measurements of indoor humidity using hygrometers to ensure that mold reproduces slowly during the restoration. Slowing mold growth allows us to focus on drying efficiently without risking an uncontrolled microbial outbreak. 

How can you rid a property of microbes after flood restoration?

Microbes are a natural part of all home environments, which makes removing them impossible. However, microbes are not bothersome unless they reproduce in an uncontrolled environment. Our AMRT technicians can focus solely on preventing mold growth using a combination of chemical agents and drying principles. The most effective precaution against mold growth is to dry the affected area quickly and control humidity levels overnight. By working together with ASD technicians, they can prevent an infestation from occurring and restore the property to its normal, sanitary condition.

What steps can you take to control mold growth during flood restoration?

• Dehumidification to maintain indoor humidity below 60 grains (of moisture) per pound (GPP) keeps microbial growth under control. 
• Using biocides or antimicrobial chemicals on high-risk areas to prevent mold from moving through growth stages during the cleanup
• Paying close attention to water migration, dripping, or leaking, which could cause damp spots and attract mold spores
• Thorough cavity inspection and drying to avoid mold buildup behind walls, floors, or ceilings

How can I speed up evaporation in a room without natural ventilation or light?

Water evaporates quicker when there is plenty of dry air in the room. A general rule of thumb for encouraging evaporation is that wet always moves to dry. However, the more water that evaporates, the more saturated the surrounding air becomes, reducing drying times. When dealing with a room with lots of residual moisture, evaporation can create a vapor barrier between dry air and the surface, which leads to slow drying. SERVPRO technicians use air-moving equipment to maintain constant air motion through a flooded property. Moving air allows wet surfaces to evaporate into dry air. Combining a heating element increases overall air temperature, which allows it to absorb more evaporated moisture speeding up the drying process. 

When can you start structural or contents restoration for a flooded property?

Once damage mitigation is complete with the property is clean and dry, we can begin to perform a restoration. Restoring a property can involve replacing any building materials that were non-salvageable and buffering carpets or repainting walls. Our technicians combine the restoration phase with preventive measures that can protect your home against secondary damage. These procedures include using antimicrobial or odor sealing primers on walls and carpets to ensure that you do not incur costs in the future. 

Taking a property through restoration from start to finish requires organization and qualified restoration professionals. Contact SERVPRO of New Haven at (203) 234-1100.