Preparing For Spring Water Damage Risks

2/27/2019 (Permalink)

The first half of the year tends to be some of the wettest in Indiana. From the frozen, saturated ground of late winter to the constant rain storms of spring, dealing with the water and trying to keep it out of your house can be a constant battle. So what do you do if your home should be the unfortunate victim of water damage this time of year? Below we will go over the steps you should take to lessen the water damage and get your home restored quickly.

First let’s go over a few ways to prepare your house in the unfortunate case that you do have water in your home.

1. Know where your water shut off is. If the water is coming from a broken pipe – often due to freezing – you can stop the flow of water immediately before further damage is done
2. Always store your valuables up high in your basement. Plastic bins are also a great way to keep the water away from your most precious items

Let’s say water is coming in; what do you do?

1. Take Pictures of the Damage It’s important to take pictures of the water damage before trying to clean things up or remove the water. If you have a flooded basement or flooded first floor, be sure to take pictures of all the water damage. This can be important and helpful when filing an insurance claim. If the water damage came from a burst pipe, be sure to take a picture of the pipe.
2. Don’t Use Electricity in Water Damaged Areas If you should suffer extensive water damage, you may want to cut off the power to the whole house. However, if your circuit box is in an affected area, like a basement, do not touch or attempt to check the circuit box. If your circuit breaker is in a dry area, then you may want to make sure the circuits to the water damaged area have been tripped. If they haven’t, you may want to flip them off to reduce any risk of electrical shock.
3. Start Removing the Water If you can get the water out of your house, start doing it as quickly as possible. Contact us and we will get out to you to help. The longer the water sits in your home, the more time it has to damage your home. Standing water can soak further into your drywall, insulation and wood framing leading to more damage from the water which can quickly lead to mold growth and damage.
4. Get the Air Circulating To help reduce the risk of mold damage, it’s important to get the air circulating. If the weather is nice, you can open your windows and doors to allow the outside air to blow through the home. You can also employ fans and blowers to get fresh air circulating around the water damage. If you are in a basement or an area that is particularly damp, you can also use dehumidifiers to draw the moisture out of the air. This can all help to reduce any further water or mold damage to your home.

We are ready to help 24/7 and will help you make it “Like it never even happened.”