Welcome to Water Damage 101, where we’ll be discussing some of the most common causes of water damage in Florida residences, along with ways you can prevent the damage from occurring. If you cannot control the water damage, keep reading for the next steps on recovering from the damage.
Natural Disasters
Florida residents are no strangers to the natural disasters that plague our great state. Most of these said disasters involve water in one way or another, leaving your home highly susceptible to water damage. The top disasters you need to be on the lookout for are:
Hurricanes
Tropical storms
Flooding
How to Prevent It
There’s only so much you can do when it comes to preventing water damage caused by natural disasters. Your best option is to prepare as much as possible beforehand. In the event of a hurricane or tropical storm, you have to worry about rain and high winds. Those high winds can damage your roof and your windows, granting water easy access to the inside of your home. One way to avoid this is by installing hurricane shutters over your windows. They will provide a barrier between the elements and your windows, hopefully preventing them from shattering.
Unfortunately, there’s no shield you can install to keep your roof in good condition during a storm. So your best option is to keep up with roofing inspections and maintenance. That way, your roofer can spot any vulnerabilities and fix them before any storms hit.
Preventing water damage from flooding is a little bit trickier. You can make sure your home’s foundation is solid and in good condition, but sometimes that’s not even enough. We recommend keeping a stock of sandbags on hand so that you can layer them around the base of your house, especially in front of the garage door, the interior garage door, and other external doors of your home.
Plumbing Issues
Behind natural disasters, you also need to be aware of your home’s plumbing and appliances. There are several areas to keep an eye on throughout your home. Some of the most vulnerable points include:
Leaky pipes
Water heater
Washing machine
Dishwasher
Bathtub and sinks
How to Prevent It
We recommend regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance appointments to prevent plumbing and appliance failures. Through these appointments, your plumbing professional will be able to detect any weaknesses or problems in your plumbing and repair it before it becomes an issue that costs you thousands in repairs.
It’s also essential that you keep records of when you purchased the appliance; that way, you know when it’s nearing the end of its lifespan and requires a replacement instead of a repair. While buying new appliances is expensive, it’s sure to be less costly than repairing the damage from a water heater bursting or a dishwasher overflowing. Not only will you need to fix the damage, but you’ll also need to replace anything damaged as a result of the water.
How to Repair and Recover
If your home has fallen victim to water damage, it’s essential to act quickly. Mold will begin to grow within 24 hours of water exposure, and the longer water sits in your home, the deeper it penetrates the surfaces.
Give our water damage experts at a call immediately, and we’ll get to work. Our water damage restoration process looks like this:
Evaluate damage and take steps to mitigate further damage. Extract standing water.
Conduct a thorough thermal inspection of your property using infrared cameras and moisture meters to determine the full scope of the damage.
Protect your possessions, including moving contents to unaffected areas, blocking contents with furniture blocks, and covering them.
Remove wet materials such as carpet padding and some trim work. This will speed up the drying process.
We will begin structural drying with the implementation of air movers on the property. At this time, we will also start the dehumidification process with industrial dehumidification units. This step speeds drying and prevents mold growth.
If you need to book an appointment or learn more about our services and process, contact our team at (888) 408-2335.