Water damage is not easy to repair. Even when the source isn’t as drastic as a flood, it still affects your house’s support structures and belongings, compromising your safety, health, and peace of mind. Luckily, there are professionals ready to help you who know all the necessary water damage repair steps to restore your home, safety, and peace of mind.
Although damage restoration companies are crucial to diminish the stress of dealing with water damage, especially during an emergency water cleanup, putting your home safety in the hands of the first company that pops up on Google is not recommended. Unfortunately, some crews may not have the experience to repair the affected areas appropriately, leading to later issues that can cost you more.
But, how can you ensure a company is trustworthy in repairing your home’s water damage? One helpful step is to familiarize yourself with the water damage restoration process. When you know what to expect from an experienced crew, you can ensure they do what they should at every step and assert control over the process.
Safety: The first of professional water damage repair steps
The first thing a restoration company should do when arriving at your property is to ensure their safety. The National Council of Safety reported over 4 million injuries requiring medical attention along U.S. worksites. Hence, water damage crews must wear essential personal protective equipment (PPE) and take all safety precautions before commencing the water damage restoration process.
Essential safety gear for restoration professionals
Depending on the extent of the damage, you should see your restoration crew wearing most of the following gear:
- Protective eyewear:
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates over 1,000 eye injuries per day. So, among the first water damage repair steps your crew must take is to wear eye protection when on the job.
The most common hazards at restoration worksites, such as emergency water cleanups, are dust, metal, concrete, and other floating particles, such as chemicals or poisonous gases, that could irritate the eyes. Depending on the extent of these hazards, your crew should wear safety glasses, goggles, or face shields.
- Non-slip shoes:
Falls are the second-leading cause of workplace injuries, especially during water damage restorations, since most surfaces will be wet and slippery while the drying and dehumidification step begins.
If they must walk through water, they should wear rubber boots to prevent injuries from electrical hazards.
- Work gloves:
Several types of gloves are suitable for water damage repair, so your crew may vary depending on the job’s scope and the damage’s source. For example, suppose your emergency is a sewage backup. In that case, professionals will need to disinfect the areas, so wearing chemical-resistant gloves to prepare the solutions will be among their water damage repair steps.
- Hard hats:
Suppose the water emergency damages your support structures, such as the ceilings or beams. In that case, your crew should wear hard hats to protect their heads from falling debris and objects throughout the water damage restoration process.
- Safety signals:
Visible safety signage will alert all crew members of potential fall hazards such as slippery floors, open grates, loose boards, or weakened stairs.
Vital safety measures every restoration crew should take
- Turning off the power
If the water levels are high, especially after floods caused by storm surges or hurricanes in the Treasure Coast, the first measure is to turn off the home’s power supply to prevent electrical hazards during the water damage restoration process. However, if the electric panel is in a flooded area, they’ll have to call your utility company to cut it off.
Water is a highly efficient electricity conductor; thus, neither you nor a restoration professional should enter a flooded area with live outlets and switches.
- Addressing the source of water damage.
If the water comes from leaky or burst pipes, plumbing fixtures, or appliances, the second safety measure before water damage repair steps is to turn off the water supply to prevent more extensive damage.
If the water comes from external sources such as sewage or floods, they should build a dam to contain the water in the affected area and prevent it from flowing to other places.
Water damage restoration process: A comprehensive overview
Once your crew has ensured safety by wearing the necessary PPE and turning off the electrical and water supply if needed, they can start the repair process. Usually, a water damage restoration process consists of 5 steps, but this may vary depending on the extent of the damage.
- Water damage inspection
Restoration specialists conduct an initial inspection to determine two crucial aspects before drafting a repair plan: water contamination and damage.
The first inspection classifies the damage into three categories based on the level of water contamination to determine the approach to take during the different water damage repair steps.
- Category 1 (clean water): Clean water has little to zero contamination levels since it often comes from sinks, bathtubs, water line pipes, and water heaters.
- Category 2 (gray water): Gray water has contaminants such as soap particles and dirt due to its sources, usually dishwashers and washing machines. Hence, this emergency water cleanup usually requires mild disinfectants and commercial cleaning solutions.
- Category 3 (black water): Black waters have heavy contaminants and possibly bacteria hazardous to human health, such as E. coli. They usually come from sewage backups, toilet overflows, and storm or hurricane-related flooding and require special safety gear and cleaning solutions to address them.
The second inspection of the water damage repair steps classifies the damage based on its extent, especially the surface area of wet porous materials (wet ground, clothing, or walls) and the moisture absorbed by low-evaporation materials (plaster, wood, concrete, mansory, etc).
| Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of damage on wet porous materials | Less than 5% | 5% to 40% | More than 40% | More than 40% |
| Moisture is absorbed by low-evaporation materials. | Minimal | Minimal | Minimal | Significant |
- Removing standing water
If some rooms on your property are flooded, extracting the standing water is the next step in the water damage restoration process. Depending on the level of flooding, extraction will include industrial vacuums and submersible pumps for high-level waters and portable dry vacuums for surface water.
- Drying and dehumidification
After water removal, the following water damage repair steps include drying and dehumidifying the affected areas to prevent mold growth and structural damage due to hidden moisture spots. The restoration professionals will open windows and doors to promote air circulation and use heavy-duty fans and dehumidifiers.
This step often takes longer than water removal, since many surfaces in modern homes tend to absorb a lot of moisture.
- Cleaning and sanitizing
This stage’s duration also depends on the scope of the emergency water clean-up. If the damage leads to mold growth, professional removals must use PPE, including disposable clothing or protective overalls, before cleaning the room. If, for example, the water damage is categorized as class 3, all surfaces need to be cleaned with antimicrobial solutions to ensure safety.
- Repair and reconstruction
The last of the water damage repair steps is to remove unsalvageable belongings and repair the salvaged items. Usually, if your emergency wasn’t class 4 or category 3, some items such as drywall, low—to medium-density trim boards, and carpets can be repaired and cleaned. However, if the damage was more extensive, replacing them would be better.
Likewise, if you suffered any natural disaster, especially destructive ones like hurricanes, you may need to rebuild some structures in your home, such as beams and walls.
Emergency water cleanup done right with Aquaseekers.
Aquaseekers was born with the primary goal of providing state-of-the-art restoration services to South Florida residents, starting from the Treasure Coast, FL, passing through Port Saint Lucie,
Tradition, PSL; Saint Lucie West, Vero Beach, Saint Lucie County, Martin County, Indian River County, until reaching Palm Beach County.
With our no-rush, thorough inspections, professional crew, and top-of-the-line equipment, you can expect all the necessary water damage repair steps to put your home and life back on track.
