Find Out About Water Restoration Services

Water restoration services are the ones that provide assistance when your home has suffered significant damage due to a leak or a sewage problem, among other events. Some of them even have home improvement credentials and can repair the problem and restore your home.Large amounts of water can definitely ruin your home. From wooden or carpeted floors to walls and furniture, the damage of any flooding or leaking incident can be high, so if you wish to protect your property and belongings, hiring a water restoration service may be the right choice. Learn more about what water restoration services do and which steps you should follow in case there is a leak or water-related incident in your home.

What is water restoration?

After a flood, it's just not enough to clean and dry things. Surface drying does not effectively get rid of the water, and if not done properly, your house may be filled with viruses, bacteria and mold. Some materials can absorb large amounts of water and hold them for a long time, which may ultimately affect your health.

Depending on the severity of the water damage, you may need to get rid of certain structures in the house, from drywall to carpets, cabinets, panels, shelves, etc.

What does a water restoration company do?

Essentially, water restoration services involve a first phase, where water is extracted, the damaged areas are cleaned up, the structures are dried and in some cases, areas that cannot be salvaged because of extensive water damage are demolished.

The second phase involves repairing and rebuilding areas that could not be salvaged and had to be removed (drywall, carpeting, hardwood, etc.)

Many of these are covered by homeowner's insurance, but make sure to check with your insurance company before contacting any water restoration service.

How to Determine the Level of Water Damage

Water damage can be ranked in four categories. These are:
  1. Slow evaporation rate: water affects a part of the room, and materials there are not very permeable, so they absorb little water.
  2. Fast evaporation rate: water affects the whole room, floor and even walls, but for less than 24 inches.
  3. Fastest evaporation rate: water comes from above and affects everything, from floors to walls, insulation, ceiling, carpet and cushion.
  4. Specialty drying situations: this type of damage relates to materials with low porosity like hardwood floors or plaster that in order to dry need low specific humidity.
Another step to determining water damage is to check the color of the water:
  • Clean water: it generally means you have some kind of water loss that poses no important health concerns.
  • Greywater: In this case, water may come from a used toilet, sump pump, seepage, from dishwashers or washing machines. Rainwater may also be categorized under greywater because it can have contaminants.
  • Black/toxic water: this water is highly contaminated and can even pose a risk to your health. This type of water may contain heavy metals, pesticides, organic matter or toxic organic substances. 

How to Choose a Water Restoration Company

To hire a good water restoration service and make sure your property is well attended to, remember to:
  • Ask your insurance company for information. They can recommend a service they have used in the past and that they know are reliable and will do a good job.
  • Check their credentials. Make sure that the company is certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification‎ (IICRC).
  • Read the contract very carefully before signing and make sure everything is written in accordance with what you discussed.

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