Tips for Handling Water Damage

5/10/2018 (Permalink)

This flooded basement in Wichita, KS was caused by excessive rains overloading the sump pump.

Tips for Handling Water Damage

• Don’t treat flood water (regardless of source) in unwanted places lightly.
• Water that comes in from the outside of your home can bring in harmful bacteria from outside into your home.
• Even if your basement only has an inch of water in it or is even damp it is the perfect breeding ground for mold.

Did You Know…

Even if your damage seems like it just affected your carpet water can wick-up onto your walls and get them wet risking the growth of mold if not treated properly. If your walls are made of drywall water can wick-up as much as 30 inches!

Here are tips to minimize damage to your basement:

1) Call your insurance company and report your        loss right away.

• Have them assign a water mitigation company to your claim or call SERVPRO as soon as possible to take care of your mitigation needs and let your adjuster/agent know you have already called someone out.

2) Disconnect the power, unplug any electronics and remove electronics, furniture, and moveable items to areas that are dry.

• Remember, the faster you get items out water’s way the more likely you’ll be able to save them.

3) Get rid of the water.

• If your sump pump is the issue, have a plumber out right away to fix the sump pump and/or replace it and this will take care of any standing water.
  • Note: You will still need a mitigation company to extract the water from your carpet.
• If you have a broken pipe, spigot, or a toilet overflow, shut off the water immediately. Have a plumber out right away to fix the issue.
• If you have a wet/dry vac you can use this to suck up the standing water. Be sure to plug it into outlets far away from water and do not use an extension cord as the connection could short out and give you a nasty shock.
• If you have several inches of water you may want to consider renting or purchasing a submersible pump to remove the water while you are waiting for the mitigation company to arrive.
• Pull wet carpet away from walls to prevent wicking up the drywall. This will minimize the damage to your walls

The faster that you can react and follow these tips as well as get a mitigation company out to your home the better chances you have of saving your flooring, drywall, and personal items, keepsakes, and the less time your home will be in disarray.