Tips on how to do it yourself or call DriPro Restoration ? 850-654-1010
Before starting to dry out your building, make certain to address health and safety concerns. Safety must come first; do not endanger yourself, your family, or other occupants. Assume all power lines are live. Do not trust the fact that power may be off all over the neighborhood; turn off the power to your house. Check for the odor of leaking LP or natural gas and turn off these services. Be aware that floodwaters may be contaminated with sewage or animal waste and present a health hazard. During clean up, protect eyes, mouth, and hands, and use disinfectants to wash hands before eating. If you are uncomfortable when entering your house and have any question regarding personal safety, do not go inside, but have a professional make an assessment.
Once a building has been exposed to a large volume of water, either floodwater or rainwater, steps must be taken to dry the building out, assess damage. There is only so much one can do with out advanced equipment to locate what is wet and to dry it. It is impossible to see all water damage with eyes and touch. If you have insurance go dig out your policy see if your covered. You don’t want to mess around. The faster you dry it the less damage you will get. If you are in Walton or Okaloosa county fl. call Dri Pro. We will help you figure out what is needed. We can work with your insurance company and help you have peace of mind.
You will need to make repairs to roofs and windows etc… to prevent additional water from entering the building as you work to dry it out. Plan on temporary repairs lasting a minimum of six months. Temporary repair options include the use of tarpaulin, 30- or 90-pound felt paper, or plywood covered with tarpaper. We can walk you through the steps.
Water saturation affects a building in three ways:
- Water causes direct damage to materials. Wallboard disintegrates; wood can swell, warp, or rot; electrical parts can short out, malfunction, and cause fires or shock.
- Sand, Mud, silt, and unknown contaminants in the water get everything dirty and are unhealthy. Floodwater is more damaging than rainwater.
- Dampness promotes the growth of moisture-related mold, mildew, and fungus that leads to dry rot.
As you enter rooms, inspect ceilings carefully. Wet plaster and sheetrock are very heavy and can be a hazard. Be aware of bulging ceilings that may hold trapped water. If rainwater has collected in the ceiling, the rainwater will find it own route into the floors below. Collect water in buckets by poking holes at the edge of the bulging ceiling to release the water.
You may want to call experts to dry your Sheetrock or Drywall. Drying walls is easy for Dri Pro. Plaster responds to drying out much better than sheet rock however, durability depends on the plaster mix, the original application, the degree of water saturation, placement, and the type of lath used. Plaster over metal lath is likely to require replacement unless you know your stuff. Wood lath may expand if saturated, causing the plaster keys to break. Check for loose plaster and plan to reattach it using plaster washers. Plaster ceilings can be temporarily shored by using 2 x 4s nailed together to form a “T”, then wedging the top of the “T” to press plywood against the ceiling.
Most plaster walls can be saved if damaged by clean rainwater. Drain water that may be held within the wall cavity should be extracted. first, you will be removing the baseboard and drilling holes through the plaster or sheetrock several inches above the floor. Use cordless or hand drills to avoid electrical shock and be careful to avoid wiring within the walls. If you do it yourself you will remove any insulation if wet via the baseboard removal and allow the wall cavity to dry out thoroughly however without the proper monitoring equipment you can’t find the moisture.
If sheetrock has been exposed to water for less than two hours, it can probably be repaired. Sometimes, If the sheetrock was exposed to floodwater for more than two hours, it can be saturated by contaminated water and require complete replacement. Only a qualified company with lots of drying experience and advanced equipment will be able to save it.
If you live in North West Florida DO NOT Open the windows and let in the fresh air. The air in North Florida is very humid and you likely will excel the mold growing process. Once the mold starts to grow you will have an even larger problem. The good news is that if your insurance covers the water damage all you have to do is call a professional company like DriPro Restoration and they will quickly dry out the structure correctly. Be sure not to wait. Time is of the most importance the longer the structure remains wet the more damage will occur. Water-damaged household furnishings including textiles, books, photographs, paintings, and furniture should receive proper treatment to minimize damage and ease repair and restoration.
If you hire a company make sure that they have advanced certifications in Water restoration. In almost all cases you can dry out the effected area and no reconstruction is needed. Reconstruction costs more and takes longer. Tear out’s should only be done at last resort. Remember that we handle it all. Small losses and large losses including: washer and dryer overflow, Air condition leaks, Pluming leaks, Pipe breaks, bath tub overflow, Sinks leaking, Toilette overflows, Hurricane damage, Rain storm leaks, Water intrusions, Ceiling leaks, Roof Leaks, You name it we can dry it. Some of our other services include: Fire and smoke Restoration. Smell removal, Sewer, Wet carpet dri out. Water Remediation, Carpet cleaning, Rug Cleaning, Pressure Washing, Dry cleaning, Tile cleaning, Stone Cleaning and polishing, Drapery cleaning, Furniture cleaning, Air Duct cleaning, Wood Floor cleaning and refinishing. Flood Repair,
If you need us call: We service the panhandle area. The area includes, Ft Walton Beach, Okaloosa Island, Shalimar R, Mary Eather, Cinco Bayou, Destin, Sandestin, Rosemarry Beach, Blue Mountain Beach, Miramare Beach, Holiday Isle, Seaside, Aly’s Beach, Gulf Breeze, Navarre, Ft. Walton Florida, Bluewater Bay, Niceville, Valpariso, Eglin AFB, Hurlburt AFB, Duke Field, Freeport, 30 A.
