When Is Water Damage Restoration Necessary & What Should You Do?
Some days are more challenging than others, but most will not be as grim as dealing with water damage in your home. Water from a broken pipe, drain backup or roof leak can mess with you like few other obstacles can. It will definitely be a day when “clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens” to quote Edgar Allen Poe.
First you need to answer the question, “where did the water come from”? Once you locate the source, you’ve just begun, as there are a multitude of other things you will be addressing before the day is over. The amount, scope and type of water will naturally answer the inquiry to, “when is water damage restoration service necessary? In most instances water damage restoration service should be entertained as an option because it requires little water to bring to fruition dangerous molds and mildew in the home.
Several Questions That Follow Finding Water Damage In The Home
- Where did it come from?
- Is this disaster covered by my homeowners insurance?
- Who’s going to cleanup all this mess?
- How long is this going to take?
- Will my house ever be the same?
These few are just a sampling of questions that cross the mind as a frenzied whirlwind leaving one confused and frustrated over what to do first. That is the reason behind the post you are reading. I want to help you navigate the high seas of water damage and get you safely to the shores of soundness and sanity. I am going to let you have access to my frontal lobe and perhaps other areas of my brain (scary) that have acquired adept skills at dealing with flooding of all types.
My 32 years of experience will help you determine if you need water damage restoration service and how to go about making it happen. Additionally there are really only 3 things you need to do to achieve peace of mind and restoration success. Boarding this train of 3 stops will be enough to manufacture peace of mind and naturally answer almost all your questions, most without even being asked.
Step 1) Find The Source Of Water And Stop It If You Can.
This is perhaps the most intuitive step like bracing for a fall if you slip on ice. It will be natural to embark on a frantic exploration of all things plumbing in your home. This will lead you to check each bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, utility room, hot water heater etc. Don’t forget to investigate floor drains and refrigerators as well which are sometimes overlooked. In a few minutes you should have discovered the culprit for the unwanted presence of water on the floor, walls or ceilings. Shutting your water off at the main in most cases stops the flow of running water.
However, please be sure water has not come into contact with your electrical because some classifications of flood damage are best left to the professionals. For instance if you have water pouring down from a ceiling affecting light fixtures, electrical outlets and switches the potential for electric shock exist. In this case the benefits of DIY are outweighed by dangers of electrocution and you need to immediately back off. You definitely need water damage restoration service from a professional in these cases. Upon their arrival they will implement all safety guidelines dealing with electricity keeping occupants and pets safe from harm.
Step 2) Call For Water Damage Restoration Service.
This is not as intimidating as it may first appear. The internet is not just a morass of evils where the dark side lures the unsuspecting. It is also a fountain of helpful information ideal to locating a reputable water damage company for the assistance you desperately need. In a google search type in the words, “water damage contractor near me” or a related search including the name of your city. The results will show several companies which are at least legitimate businesses that provide water damage restoration service.
Once you have a tally of candidates the next step will be to weed out the incompetent allowing you to discover the best company for your needs. Companies that have no reviews eliminate from consideration, it’s a blind date and your flooding issue is enough to deal with. Look for companies that have 5 star reviews. Read what others have to say about their competence and attention to customer service.
Lastly check out the best candidate on other ranking platforms: google, yelp, yellow pages, Facebook etc. If they have multiple sources that vouch for their competence than you can at least contact them to discuss your flood damage issue. If they represent themselves as professional and trustworthy you may want to consider going down the same proven road others have for their water damage restoration service.
Example Of Search Results Looking For Water Restoration Contractors.
As an example when you type into a google search, “Water damage restoration Service in Macomb”, my company Action Extraction Inc comes up in the maps and shows our 5-star rating.
This allows potential clients to see that we provide restoration services for flood emergencies, but also that we have earned the highest rating google allows and this increases consumer confidence and greatly eliminates the chances of a bad experience.
Step 3) Contact Your Insurance Company And Make The Claim For Water Damage Restoration Service.
Some may have placed this as the first step but I would not. Remember I am inviting you into the cerebrum of my many years of experience and you DO NOT want to contact your insurance carrier first. When called they have a list of questions they will be going through. Answer anyone of them incorrectly, uninformed or completely opposite from what the professionals may discover with their experience and cutting edge detection equipment, and you will be sorry.
I could write a plethora of post on real case experiences where homeowners first called their carrier without the right information and how it handicapped a smooth and worry free restoration process. The homeowner says, “The sewer backed up” later it is revealed the toilet overflowed. The insurance company hears, “the water is just in the bathroom” but after evaluation it is rightfully determined to have damaged several rooms. All this can be avoided when they insurance company is contacted after you have correct information. You don’t want this information changing as it will be the North Star that guides the water damage restoration service. Changing one’s story in a courtroom is a solid indication they are lying, something you want to avoid at all cost when dealing with the insurance company.
If You Have Followed These Steps Rest Assured
If you boarded this train of three stops then you can rest easy where it has taken you. This is not to say tomorrow when the sun rises you won’t have several issues that may need tending to, but you have started the process correctly. You are like the gentleman that bought the snow blower before the blizzard, the unemployed woman that remembered to bring her application to the interview. The metaphors abound but I digress. You have managed to do what will inevitably prove to have been smart actions to bring about reliable water damage restoration service.
Tonight before you go to bed take a deep breath and allow the reward of a good night’s sleep to greet you when your head meets the pillow. Because of your actions, water has been removed, germs have been eliminated and the drying process has begun. Each day now will bring you inexorably closer to a fully restored property.