The Water Damage Blog

Water Damage Carpet

Paul Daniele — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:30:00 GMT

Yesterday I received a call from a Newton, Ma resident who said she had a water damaged carpet in her basement. Apparently her water heater leaked in her basement, causing part of the carpet to get wet. She called to ask whether or not she should let the carpet “dry itself”, or have Puritan Flood Technicians come to her home to dry it.

Carpeting when left wet, can lead to the Carpet Delaminating. What this means is that the adhesive holding the secondary backing to the primary backing, separates. (See the photo on the right). The reason this happens is because today, most carpet manufacturer’s uses synthetic latex to bind the primary backing to the secondary backing. When this glue like substance gets wet, it gets weaker, thus the carpet loses strength and can get damaged.

In this case, I told her that it would probably be best to have our technicians stop by to look at her water damaged carpet. If the technicians thought there might be the potential for some carpet damage, it should be take care of by a professional.

What is the difference between AC and a Dehumidifier?

Paul Daniele — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:49:00 GMT

After the torrential rains this past summer, I was called to a flood job in Brookline MA. Upon arriving, I found the entire finished basement had water damage. The home owner was unsure as to where the water had come from. He said he never had a problem with a wet basement in the past. After my technicians extracted the water, they found that water was seeping in thru a crack on the floor. I showed the owner where the water was coming from and explained that “because this was not a pipe break, unfortunately, it probably would not be covered by insurance.” (But I did suggest that he call his insurance agent to be sure).

Next, I figured out the amount of equipment needed to dry out the home so I could give the home owner an estimation of what it would cost. After giving him a price, the home owner asked me a great question “what is the difference between AC and a Dehumidifier?” “Because central air conditioner removes humidity, right?” The home owner thought that he could save a little money by not renting a dehumidifier.

I explained to him that the difference between AC and a dehumidifier is not very great. An air conditioner like a dehumidifier pulls warm moist air over its cold coils; the difference is that AC does not reheat the air before exhausting into your home. What you get is nice cold air blowing out of the Air conditioning unit. It also doesn’t have a humidistat, so when the home reaches a preset temperature the AC will shut down, even though your home may still have high humidity. But more importantly, depending on when you turn on the air conditioner, it may do more harm than good. For example if the temperature in your flooded home is 74⁰ degrees Fahrenheit and the relative humidity (RH) is 90% and you turn on the air conditioning system, when the cool air coming out hits the dew point at about 70⁰ degrees it’s going to start raining (condensation) all over the inside of your home. So it’s best to use a dehumidifier and not an air conditioning to help dry out your home. The dehumidifiers job is solely to remove humidity.

There are times however when an air conditioning system can help if certain conditions are present. But this should be left up to a water damage restoration professional to monitor the home’s environment to determine when it is the best time to turn on and off the AC unit.

In conclusion the difference between an AC and a dehumidifier is not much, but the usefulness of each system can be quite different in each situation.

Stay Dry!

Carpet Drying

Paul Daniele — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 21:16:00 GMT

When carpet drying, water extraction is the most important part of the drying process because it removes most of the water from the carpet. Once the extraction is done there is always some remaining water left, and this water is removed thru evaporation. To help with evaporation, Water Damage Restoration firms use carpet dryers also known as air movers. These carpet dryers will move a high volume of air across the carpet which removes the boundary layer of wet air near the surface of the carpet. The faster the air movement over the carpet (with adequate humidity reduction) the faster the carpet will dry. Thus, these carpet dryers will greatly increase airflow and speed the up drying process and also minimize the likelihood of mildew growth.

So, when drying a carpet, you extract water and then strategically set up the carpet dryers. If the carpeting is glued down to the floor without a pad, we place the carpet dryers on top of the carpet and blow air over the top of the carpeting; this dries the carpet very quickly.

If the carpet is stretched-in on tackless strips, and has a pad, we position the carpet dryers to force air under the carpet creating a tent like effect; this forces the carpet off the floor on a cushion of air. This type of drying is called sub surface drying. It will dry the carpeting and the pad. Once dry, the water damage firm will have to re-attach the carpet to the tackless strip.

An alternative to sub surface drying is using a weighted extraction tool during the water extraction phase. These new extraction tools can actually extract the water out of the carpet and padding. Instead of having to sub surface dry the carpeting, technicians can place the carpet dryers on top of the carpet. This type of carpet drying minimizes the chance that the carpeting will be damaged when the wet carpet is disengaged from the tackless strip.

Finally, the carpet dryers will be removing all of that moisture from the carpeting and putting it into the air so you will need adequate dehumidification. If you do use a dehumidifier, that moist air will absorb into walls, ceilings, papers, paintings etc. causing secondary damage?

If you need carpet drying, it is best to call in a local water damage certified professional, they will have all the necessary tools, equipment and skills to dry your carpeting fast!

Good Luck and Stay Dry!!!!

* The Diagrams above come from The Complete Guide to Water Damage Restoration- Claude Blackburn

Toilet Backup

Paul Daniele — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:09:00 GMT

Why does a toilet backup happen? In a 1994 survey of 79 members of the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies, 65 percent of the respondents reported it was because of wet weather.

They reported that between 15 and 35 percent of their sewers were filled above capacity and/or overflowed during wet weather.

Some reasons why a toilet backup can occur in your home

Sewers and pumps too small to carry sewage from newly-developed subdivisions or commercial areas
Blocked, broken or cracked pipes and other equipment or power failures that keep the system from doing its job. Tree roots can grow into the sewer. Sections of pipe can settle or shift so that pipe joints no longer match. Sediment and other material can build up and cause pipes to break or collapse. This can also happen to sewer service connections to houses and other buildings. Some cities estimate that as much as 60 percent of the water over-filling their sewer systems comes from service lines.
A deteriorating sewer system. When sewers are not properly installed or maintained, widespread problems that can be expensive to fix develop over time. Some municipalities have found severe problems, necessitating billion-dollar correction programs. Often, communities have had to curtail new development until problems are corrected or system capacity is increased.

If you have a toilet backup in your home and plan on cleaning it up yourself, you should really consider hiring a professional. Sewerage exposure can be very dangerous to your health. Sewerage can effect people differently, you could get chlorea, salmonellosis ,typhoid fever, bacillary dysentery, gastroenteritis, meningitis, to name a few, all which are very dangerous. This was demonstrated in a 1988-89 epidemic of hepatitis A in Ocoee Florida, that resulted in 39 cases and one fetal death.

Leave the cleaning up to a certified professional who has had the training in water damage restoration. These Technicians will come to your home or business and formulate a plan to decontaminate it and its contents. They will ensure that when they are done, the areas effected will be totally clean and safe.

Click here For a more indepth article on "toilet backups "

Hurricane Preparedness

Paul Daniele — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 22:10:00 GMT

Hurricane Preparedness

For those of us living in Boston Massachusetts, hurricane preparedness has not really been much of an issue in our life time. The last great hurricane that struck the northeast was back in September of 1938. Wind gusts reached Category 5 strength in eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts west of Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod. The anemometer at the Blue Hill Observatory registered a peak wind gust of 186 m.p.h. before the instrument broke. The storm killed over 600 people and is considered to be the worst hurricane to strike New England in modern times.

Fast forward to Labor Weekend of 2010, Hurricane Earl is heading up the coast and was expected to hit Cape Cod Massachusetts and the Islands. Was Hurricane preparedness then on New Englander’s minds? Yes and no, New Englanders are a hearty bunch and not much about the weather fazes them. They treated this storm like any other nor’easter; they filled up their car with gas, bought batteries and stocked up their refrigerators. Luckily Hurricane Earl past us by with nary a bit of wind and rain.

What we didn’t do, is what the Floridians and Louisianans’ have been doing every time a hurricane is heading their way, buttoning down their hatches and securing everything. This is the basic hurricane preparedness steps that southern coastal states do out of habit. Below, is a minimum list of hurricane preparedness steps a home owner should take no matter where they live.

Hurricane Preparedness List

Make plans to secure your property. Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection for windows. A second option is to board up windows with 5/8” marine plywood, cut to fit and ready to install. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking.
Install straps or additional clips to securely fasten your roof to the frame structure. This will reduce roof damage.

Be sure trees and shrubs around your home are well trimmed.
Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.

French doors - Brace with 2 X 4’s

Ornamental Shutters - Remove and store out of the wind.

Consider building a safe room. Locate the safest areas in your home and places to meet. In certain circumstances the safest areas may not be your home, but someplace else within your community.

Electrical Appliances - Unplug from wall outlets.

Swimming Pool - Drain approximately one foot of water from the pool.

Storage Shed - Tie down the shed using straps or thick rope and attach to ground.

Discuss the type of hazards that could affect your family. Know your homes vulnerability to storm surges, flooding and wind.

Have an out-of-state friend as a family contact, so all your family members have a single contact point.
Make a plan what to do with your pets if you need to evacuate.

Check your insurance coverage - this type of flood damage is not usually covered by home owners insurance.

Determine escape routes from your home and places to meet. These should be measured in tens of miles rather than hundreds of miles.

While writing this hurricane preparedness blog article it made me think of a quote by Louis Pasteur “Chance favors only the prepared mind”. By being prepared for a hurricane before it’s at your front door, the chances of you and your family coming thru it unscathed will be greatly increased.

Stay Dry!!!

Insurance Vendors ?

Paul Daniele — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:26:00 GMT

Insurance vendors, should I hire them? When asked this question it makes me reflect back at the numerous water damage situations our company has responded too. When Puritan is called for water damage jobs, we immediately respond and dispatch our emergency technicians to extract the water and set up drying equipment. We then advise our customers that the next step is to inform their insurance company to report the loss.

When reporting their water damage to the insurance companies, some customers have been asked by their insurance representatives who they have hired to help them with the water damage. The insurance representative often offers advice as to whom they "would prefer" you to use. Insurance companies will never insinuate not to hire a vendor, but they will "imply" that you should hire one of their "preferred vendors". You as a customer, can hire anyone you desire; actually it is your right by law.

Under the law, it's your right to choose the firm that will perform the services in your home. Insurance companies cannot tell you which vendor to use, "they can only recommend". Some of these preferred water damage firms have agreements with the insurance companies to charge certain prices and to handle the water losses in a certain way that might not always be in the customer's best interest.

Therefore it poses the question, any insurance vendor that gets a large percentage of their income from insurance companies, where do their allegiances lie? Is it with their customer or the insurance company? It seems to me that the possibility of conflict of interest is very real with relationships like this. A lot of these insurance vendors are very good and competent, but when you are hiring any vendor to work in your home or business, that vendor's allegiance should be with you, the customer, and not insurance company, so be aware!

Flooded Basement - Do you have a Sump Pump?

Paul Daniele — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:33:00 GMT

Who could believe rain in February? Most Bostonians rejoiced that it rained and not snowed like the rest of the rest of the country which had record breaking snowfalls. However there are some Bostonians who wished it had snowed, not because they like skiing but because their basements flooded due to the heavy rains. Inevitably whenever the North East gets a lot of rain in a very short time, basements flood and the most important tool a home owner needs in a basement is a Sump Pump.

The majority of our customers with flooded basements who needed our services to pump out their basements all had Sump Pumps; however those pumps failed to work when they were most needed. A large percentage of these flooded basements could have been prevented. How you ask? With preventative maintenance.

Sump pumps are like clothes dryers and dishwashers they both need periodic maintenance to operate efficiently. It is recommended that in the states where rain and flooding is more prevalent, sump pumps should be tested every few months, while other states that only have periodic flooding, they should be tested twice per year.

Sump pump maintenance:

After a Heavy Rain - Check the inlet screen for any blockage. This is one of the leading causes of pump failure
Fill the sump pit up with water to make sure the pump is working.
Once the pump starts to work, go outside to see if the pump is actually pumping water, or place your hand around the pipe to feel if the water is passing thru it. You must check to see if the pump is actually pumping water because sometimes the pump will turn on but not actually pump anything.
Make sure that the float controlling the pump is not restricted or getting hung up.
If the pump has a back-up battery, it should be replaced every second or third year.

Finally if your home does flood due to the malfunction of your sump pump, be aware that your home owner's policy almost always excludes sump pump failure. My advice to you would be to call your insurance broker to see if you can add a sump pump clause to onto your policy. The cost for this is very small compared to the thousands of dollars it might cost you if that pump does fail and you end up with two feet of water in your finished basement.

STAY DRY!!!!!!

Frozen Pipes

Paul Daniele — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:14:00 GMT

Frozen pipes seem to be almost a daily occurrence during these cold winter spells in New England. For instance, yesterday I was contacted by a home owner living in all places, Europe. He had relocated there and was planning on renting out his now vacant home in Newton MA. Neighbors had contacted him to say they had seen water gushing out the sliding door at the rear of his house. Upon arrival, I could hear what sounded like a water fall thru the front door. Needless to say when I entered things did not look good.

The culprit..... a frozen pipe!!! A bit of advice, during winter months whether you're moving to Europe, going south or staying at home there are some things you can do to help prevent frozen pipes.

Wrap those exposed pipes in your basement or crawl space with pipe insulation. Pipe insulation is relatively inexpensive and can be found at your local hardware store. . It's very easy to do and can be done by anyone.

Drain and turn off your outside water faucets. To do this, turn off the water supply valve inside your home and then go outside and open the water faucet. Once all the remaining water is drained out, shut off the water faucet.

During a Very Cold Spell

Any sink that is on an outside wall, you should open the cabinet doors underneath it to allow the warm air to infiltrate and keep that outside wall and pipes warm.

Open sink faucets on outside walls to a very slow trickle, this will help the pipes from freezing (moving water takes much longer to freeze).

If the worst happens and one of your faucets do freeze, open up all your other faucets to a slow trickle which will help relieve the pressure as the frozen pipe thaws to minimize the chances of that frozen pipe rupturing.

Taking just a little time to prevent a pipe from freezing will in the future reduce the stress of having water damage in your home not to mention the expense and aggravation of it all.

To quote Ben Franklin " an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"

Disaster Plan - Does Your Business Have One?

Paul Daniele — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:13:00 GMT

A few months ago a high tech firm called on a Monday morning in a panic. Their server room had two inches of water under the computer room floor. Within an hour, our Technicians had removed the water and started the drying process using dehumidifiers and air movers.

What we later learned from the IT staff, the water had leaked in to the server room on Saturday evening, although Maintenance Staff had fixed the leaking pipe, they could not gain access to the server room and did not have any contact information for anyone from the company to inform them of the water damage. Not having an emergency contact number the water stayed inside the computer room for a day and half, thus increasing the chance of irreparable damage. Thankfully the firm's computer network stayed operational and no information was lost.

Puritan's advice is: Have a disaster plan in place before the inevitable happens. There is a free service ( Ready Rating Program) offered by the American Red Cross that assists business to prepare for a disaster. This Program is designed to help businesses prepare for any type of emergency, from disease outbreaks to natural disasters. The program is free but membership is required. After joining, you'll take an online assessment to determine your baseline ability to react to disasters. Then it will assist you in developing an emergency plan.

Don't be caught like the our high tech customer mentioned above, Always Be Prepared!

Blowers

Paul Daniele — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:17:00 GMT

Blowers, also known as Air Movers, Fans or Carpet Dryers are a tool used as part of a drying process by Water Damage Technicians to dry out homes or businesses after they've been flooded.

These Blowers, or "Air Movers" are a very important part of the drying process (along with water extraction, ample dehumidification and suitable temperature conditions which I will write about in a future blog).

The main purpose of air movers ( blowers ) is to remove the wet air near the surface of the water damaged materials. This area is called "The Boundary Layer".

Removing The Boundary Layer

"Very near a wet surface, especially in stagnant air, the adjoining air is saturated: the humidity near the surface is at 100%Rh (relative humidity). The condition of the air next to the saturated air is layered in degrees of saturation. Next to the saturated air-mass the humidity is 99%, then 98%, and so on until, at in inch or so away the from the wet surface, the humidity is the same as the ambient air" *

What these blowers are designed to do so well is continually remove this wet boundary layer and replace it with warmer drier air therefore allowing evaporation to continue at a much faster pace. Also as a secondary benefit, most fungi won't grow in areas with rapid air flow.

Thus, these Blowers (Air movers) will greatly increase airflow and speed the up drying process and will minimize the likelihood of mildew growth.

*Restorative drying-The Complete Guide to Water Damage Restoration - Claude Blackburn

Containment at a water damage loss

Paul Daniele — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:12:00 GMT

Containment can be critical in reducing drying time. In a recent job at a self insured Boston-area high tech firm, a water pipe burst in an adjacent room causing minor flooding in the main conference facility. The wall and rug were saturated in several areas and our client needed to use the room for a meeting in three days. We had to work smart and dry it out fast. This was a large conference room measuring 75' by 100'. Without a containment system , it would have required much larger and more costly dehumidifiers That's where our use of the ZipWall barrier system made us look like heroes. First, we were able to gain maximum drying efficiency by sectioning-off a smaller area measuring just 25'x 25'. This meant we needed less equipment and it improved operating efficiency. We were in and out in 2 days. This ZipWall system is based on a telescoping, spring loaded pole. Plastic sheet is secured at the top of the pole between an interlocking head and plate. The telescoping action lets you raise the sheeting without a ladder and the spring loading makes it easy to lift the pole to tuck the sheeting underneath during setup.

ZipWall is just one of the ways Puritan Flood Restoration works smarter to make recovery and restoration as fast as possible.The bottom line, by drying only part of the room, we were able to use a much smaller dehumidifier, saving our customer hundreds of dollars.

My Thermostat - Should I turn it down ?

Paul Daniele — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:37:00 GMT

Today I received a call that a pipe had burst in a Condominium in Newton, Ma. When I arrived, I found that the owners of the Condominium had left for Florida for the winter. I am sure before they left, they had their mail forwarded to Florida, stopped their Boston Herald delivery and told their neighbors to keep an eye on their home. But it was the last thing they had done, which had ruined their beautiful home. They had turned down their heat to fifty degrees, and that act was like playing Russian roulette with a very high probability for a pipe break.

We run into scenarios like this over and over again when temperatures plummet. Condominium owners and renters who leave for vacation, turn down (sometimes even turn off) their thermostats. They believe this because they have a Condominium or apartment to their left, right, above and below, so therefore their pipes won't freeze....... right? This mindset sounds logical, but it doesn't work, the pipes will freeze.

When you do leave your home for an extended period of time, you may turn your temperature down, but don't lower it less 55 degrees. Also if you're leaving your home for an extended period of time, think about purchasing a programmable freeze alarm . A freeze alarm is connected to the phone lines, and when the temperature reaches a programmed setting that you set, you will receive a phone call. It will play a pre-recorded message stating that the temperature has reached its alarm setting. You can then call a family member, or friend to go to home and check for the problem. So go on that vacation with the peace of mind that your pipes won't freeze.

Good luck and Stay Dry...!

Freeze Alarm Links:

http://www.heatersplus.com/freeze.htm

http://www.controlselectric.com/

http://www.homesecuritystore.com/c-24-freeze-temperature-alarms.aspx

http://www.freezealert.com/

Moisture Meter ?

Paul Daniele — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:34:00 GMT

Since my brother and I started our water damage restoration firm in 1982, we have dried over three thousand homes. Practically every job we have had, we would always hear the same question from our customers “How can you tell my walls are wet, they look fine to me?” I then introduce to them the moisture meter, and they were all fascinated with it and how it works.

We use two types of moisture meters - Penetrating and Non-Penetrating

Penetrating moisture meters use two sharp pins or probes that are inserted into a material or structural element which you suspect is wet. An electrical current passes from one pin to the other and the resistance is measured and that resistance determines the amount of moisture within the material. This type of meter is great for determining the moisture content in wood and for checking carpeting for moisture as well.

Non-Penetrating moisture meters do not use pins, but rather sensors. These types of sensors work by sending an electronic signal into the material and measures power loss. The benefit of using this type of meter is that you do not have to put holes into your drywall to determine if it’s wet or not. Also you can check large areas quickly to determine where the moisture is located.

How we do it at Puritan

At Puritan Flood Restoration we always check the drywall after a flood using a non-penetrating moisture meter. The Technician will find a known dry area in an undamaged area of the home or business. Then they will use that reading to establish a “drying standard”. This drying standard is what the technician will consider dry. They will then use that reading as their “drying goal”. The Technicians then sets up our drying equipment to dry those areas until the walls reach our drying goal.

Moisture meters run from inexpensive to very expensive. For a water damage restoration firm like ours, a more expensive one is necessary. But for the home owner an inexpensive one will work just fine. The inexpensive ones will usually be a penetrating moisture meter that will show you whether something is wet or dry.....................Good Luck and Stay Dry!

Wet Concrete

Paul Daniele — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:12:00 GMT

Wet concrete, how dry should it be? This is an area that is still a little controversial. After water damage has occurred in a home or building, in addition to the walls and carpeting being effected, wet concrete is sometimes involved. Some water damage firms believe that the correct way to dry the wet concrete is using air movers and a dehumidifier for a few days and then let it naturally. Other firms believe that the home should be restored back to a pre-loss state like the insured had it before the water damage occurred. While others will ask what type of floor covering was there before and what the owner plans on putting on the wet concrete once it’s dried.

All three views are correct but the later, in my opinion is the best option to follow. The water damage technician should ask what type of floor covering will be laid over the concrete and then determine how dry that wet concrete floor should be. (what is an acceptable moisture content percentage)

A wet concrete floor in an unfinished basement will definitely need some drying, but only enough to get as much moisture out of it in a couple of days as the Water Damage Technician can. But what if it’s a home with a wet concrete slab and the home owner plans on re-installing vinyl floor covering back on it? How dry then should the concrete be? Will the insurance company pay for all that extra time and expense to dry the concrete? This floor covering scenario will make drying the wet concrete much more of an important issue. Any vapor barrier put over a wet concrete floor will slow down the moisture escaping and greatly increase the potential for mold to develop and thrive. In addition, most of the glues used in public buildings today are water based, so excessive moisture can cause problems with the glue, causing adhesion issues and void many manufacture warranties.

Once a drying plan for the wet concrete is determined, the Insurance Adjuster should be informed of all these issues. The insurance adjuster is the one who is going to be paying for the drying bill so the Technician should justify to the adjuster, the need for spending the extra time and expense to dry that wet concrete flooring to a certain moisture content.

Thus, it is very important for the Water Damage Technician early on to try to determine what the floor covering is going to be, and formulate their drying goals for that wet concrete.

Some great links for drying wet concrete

http://www.cement.org/tech/cct_floors_moisture.asp

http://www.itwresintech.com/pdf/library/mea_rem.pdf

What you should do after the Flood

Paul Daniele — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:35:00 GMT

Walking downstairs into your basement after a long day at work only to see, water flooding that new carpet you had just installed last week, or that ceiling in your living room has water pouring out of the recessed lights. What do you do?

Here are some steps to take immediately.

Call your local Certified Water Damage Restoration Contractor

Grab a flash light (even during the day if you have had a basement flood).
Shut off the electricity at the breakers to those areas affected.
Before you walk into the water damaged area, look for any potential hazards. Is the ceiling about to collapse, is the floor slippery, is that chandelier about to fall, etc?......Be Careful !!!!!!!
Try to determine what has caused the leak. If it is a leaking pipe, shut the water off to the whole house. This shut off is usually located in the basement or right next to where the water pipe enters your home.
If you determine the flood in your basement is sewerage, leave the basement immediately and wait for the professionals to arrive. This type of flood damage is hazardous to you and your family’s health. If you have young children or someone who is immune compromised, it would be wise to leave your home and not return until the Restoration Contractors have finished decontaminating the effected area.
If the water is not deep, put aluminum foil or plastic wrap under furniture legs. This will protect your furniture as well as protecting the carpet from getting stained from the furniture. Sometimes the stain will transfer from the furniture to the carpet, which if it happens, can permanently damage the carpeting.
Turn the temperature down below 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Move anything which might break in the water damaged areas before the Restoration Contractors arrive. By doing this now there is less chance for them to break that family heirloom.
Remove everything small and light from the floor, for example, shoes, books, magazines, boxes etc. Clean out everything stored in your closets, so when the Restoration Contractors are working, they will have easy access to those areas.
Any furniture which is light, try to move them to a dry area of the house.
Tie up any drapery so they are not sitting in the water.

Finally do not throw out anything that’s water damaged until you have spoken with your insurance company. If the flood is caused by a leaking pipe and you have home owners insurance or renters insurance you are probably covered for this type of loss. But to be safe, you should call your insurance agent first to see if you are covered by insurance. If you are covered, wait until the insurance adjuster comes and inspects your home before you throw anything out.

Check out Puritan's Article about drying your flooded basement!

A Hard Wall To Dry

Paul Daniele — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:20:00 GMT

We were called to a local condominium after a flooding incident.

Workers, working in a second floor unit during a bathroom remodeling job, broke a pipe causing the water to cascade down to the floor below. During our inspection we found wet carpeting and walls. Drying the carpeting would be easy, we would extract the water out of the wet carpet, and then set up air movers to dry them. The walls were another issue, these walls had vinyl wallpaper on them making it very difficult to dry.

During our discussion with the property manager, he said "do what ever you can to save the wallpaper. If we have to remove this paper, we will have to replace all of it in the 300 foot long common hallway".

Watch the Video and find out What Happened....

vn7etrsbw3

After A Flood - Home Owners Check List

Paul Daniele — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:27:00 GMT

Natural Disaster – What to do after a Flood

* Only return home only when local officials have declared the area safe. Listen to your local radio or TV stations for updates.

* Before entering your home, look outside for loose power lines, damaged gas lines, foundation cracks or other damage.

* Parts of your home may be collapsed or damaged. Approach entrances carefully. See if porch roofs and overhangs have all their supports.

* Watch out for wild animals, especially poisonous snakes that may have come into your home with the floodwater.

* If you smell natural or propane gas or hear a hissing noise, leave immediately and call the fire department.

* If power lines are down outside your home, do not step in puddles or standing water.

* Keep children and pets away from hazardous sites and floodwater.

* Materials such as cleaning products, paint, batteries, contaminated fuel and damaged fuel containers are hazardous.

* Check with local authorities for assistance with disposal to avoid risk.

* During cleanup, wear protective clothing, including rubber gloves and rubber boots.

* Make sure your food and water are safe. Discard items that have come in contact with floodwater, including canned goods, water bottles, plastic utensils and baby bottle nipples. When in doubt, throw it out!

* Do not use water that could be contaminated to wash dishes, brush teeth,prepare food, wash hands, make ice or make baby formula.

* Contact your local or state public health department for specific recommendations for boiling or treating water in your area after a disaster as water may be contaminated.

The above checklist can be found at The American Redcross along with additional information.

Preventing Water Damage to your Walls After a Flood

Paul Daniele — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:25:00 GMT

This past spring we were called to flooded townhouse in Boston. Upon arrival we found an entire finished basement wet. Puritans Water Damage Supervisor checked the walls with a moisture detector and found them totally wet sixteen inches off the floor. My crew then started the water extraction process, after which they then set up drying equipment. Their goal was to try to dry the wet walls and carpeting.

The following day I met with the insurance adjuster and home owner to explain to them what Puritan had done and how I expected the drying to go. After some discussion, the adjuster told the home owner that the insurance company would cover the expense to replace the water damaged carpeting we were trying save.

Speaking with the home owner later that day, he told me once he received the money from the insurance company, he wanted to totally renovate the basement living area. The advice I then gave him was to speak with the contractors installing the sheet rock and instruct them to "Leave the sheet rock one- quarter inch off the floor when they install it. The baseboard would cover the sheet rock gap, and if a flood were to ever happen again and the water's not to deep, your walls won't get wet".

This past Sunday I again received a frantic phone call from that same home owner in Boston, his basement had flooded again. Puritan Technicians were dispatched, they again extracted all of the water and set up air movers and a dehumidifier to begin the drying process.

There were two differences this time.

The water flooding the basement was ground water which was not covered by insurance.
The walls were dry.

The walls were dry, how could that be?............ The home owner did as I had suggested, and told the dry wall contractors to leave that 1/4" gap between the sheet rock and flooring. So with a little bit of planning during any construction project, you can minimize the problems which arise due to water damage.

Flood Damage? Qualify Your Vendor

Paul Daniele — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:08:00 GMT

Flood damage restoration has come a long way since 1982 when I started in the Water Damage Restoration field. Back then, the majority of the restoration companies were really just "wet carpet drying services”. These companies did not concern themselves with the structure or its contents. Today carpet drying is a small aspect of the restoration process. Carpets typically can now be dried in one or two days, whereas the structure and its contents can typically take three to four days to dry depending on the structural materials affected.

Some of the innovative tools introduced over the years to assist us in drying homes and businesses are the low grain dehumidifier (LGR), heat drying systems, low amperage air movers and wall cavity drying systems to name a few.

With all these tools for us to use now, there are still instances where I come across jobs where a "flood company" had be called in to dry out a flooded home, only to find that the Technician was drying wet carpets and not the walls. I'm amazed that after twenty-seven years in this industry there are still those companies out there who are still just "carpet drying companies". Thankfully these companies are now few in numbers, thanks to the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) our industrys governing body. The IICRC puts it Water Damage Technicians thru a rigorous course where we are then tested to ensure that Water Damage Technician who is certified by the IICRC knows how to use the most up to date equipment and is well versed in technical side of drying.

Therefore, unless you want history to repeat itself, make sure that when you hire a water damage restoration firm , they are in fact certified by the IICRC and you will know that your walls will be dried as well as your carpeting.

Want to learn more about flood abatement? Download the free article on how to save money with new flood abatement techniques.