Instead of Cleaning Up Water Damage Yourself, Call the Experts

6/13/2022 (Permalink)

Owning a home brings about many benefits, but it also brings about many challenges. When disaster strikes, the responsibility of what to do, falls to you. Sometimes a disaster might be an easy fix, but sometimes it is too much for us to handle on our own.

Sometimes when a homeowner experiences water damage, they think they can fix it all on their own with a shop vac and some towels. However, when your home floods, the damage can go deeper than that. Improperly drying your home can lead to damage to the interior as well as mold issues.

It is 1,200 times easier to remove water than to evaporate it. That’s why proper extraction of standing water is key to properly drying a structure. Many times, shop vacs are unable to do a sufficient job quick enough.

Drywall exposed to water can go up the wall at a rate of 1 inch per hour for the first 24 hours. If left for a few days, it could go all the way up the to the seam at 4 ft.

The insulation in your walls will wick water from the drywall as well. Without proper weep holes drilled to allow air flow, your walls may seem dry, but you have insulation that could be holding in moisture and will eventually mold will develop. Insulation also loses its ability to insulate properly when it is wet.

Improperly dried drywall becomes brittle and weak causing it to break apart very easily. Drywall that is dried properly can actually become stronger. This was discovered by water restoration companies that used what they call “flood rooms” for training.  Each week the rooms are flooded and used for training proper dry out techniques.  They found after about five “floods” the drywall had to be replaced because it would no longer allow water to wick up the walls.

Mold will start growing immediately after spores are attached to an item. It can easily grow within 24 to 48 hours and will colonize in 1-12 days. Mold releases its spores when it is disturbed, so without proper removal, you can spread it throughout your home trying to get rid of it.

These are just a few reasons you should choose SERVPRO of Gainesville West/Alachua County West, your water damage experts, to save yourself the time, money and the sanity of having to restore your home more than once despite just one single water damage.