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Fire & Water - Cleanup & Restoration

Holy St. Petersburg, Water Damage. Just Call SERVPRO

4/4/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Technicians, Safety Gear, and Equipment Mitigate Water Damage in St. Petersburg

How SERVPRO Saves Homes and Businesses from Water Damage in St. Petersburg

It can be overwhelming to find water where it should not be in your home or organization. Plumbings issues, roof leaks, and appliance failures are just a few of the many reasons residents and businesses call on SERVPRO of NE St. Petersburg to handle water damage in their properties.

Common Types of Damage Caused by Water

An essential thing to know about a water intrusion in St. Petersburg is that longer the moisture remains inside the property, the more damage it is doing. Why SERVPRO? We're Faster To Any Size Disaster. Exposure to excess moisture can loosen vinyl tiles on floors, cause the subflooring to rot underneath, and in walls, drywall rot can be a problem. On top of all of that, any area that has prolonged moisture has the potential to harbor mold colonies. Even a small amount of water cleanup should be handled by professionals to ensure there is no secondary damage to the building materials and loss of possessions.

How is Water Removed?

SERVPRO of NE St. Petersburg handles both small and large water removals. Residual moisture is a bigger problem after any standing water is extracted. Our technicians have many specialized tools such as a weighted extractor that connects to a pump. When it moved over the wet carpet, the weight pushes excess water out of padding where it could remain and cause both mold and odor problems. For large scale jobs, we have specially equipped truck mounted pumps that can move out thousands of gallons of water quickly.

Deep Drying Techniques

While the rules of science for air flow and water vapor are finite, how those rules are used is unique to each emergency call our SERVPRO technicians handle. Not every water emergency is going to need to have weep holes drilled in a sagging ceiling for a pipe break or drywall cut away from an appliance accident. Our https://www.IICRC.orgIICRC certified technicians know that eliminating vapor barriers and opening up areas behind walls results in faster overall drying.

All flooring needs to be dried as soon as possible, especially in the case of adhesive tile and any type that has subflooring underneath. Many types of composite and engineered wood may not be restorable through our efforts. However true hardwood floors can be saved on a case by case basis. Because wood has high absorbency, hardwood flooring needs special attention when drying such as tenting or drying mats that direct water vapor up and away while they are systematically moved for even results. Our certified crew members know which elements to focus on when setting up an affected space up for the best drying possible. An example is moving wet items that can leave stains on floorings such as printed materials and stained wood furnishings.

In a category one (clean) water remediation, even the carpet padding can be saved through fast action. We can set up air movers to push air under affected carpeting and over the padding to help it dry even faster; this is called "floating the carpet." In cases where the padding cannot be saved, we remove it with the homeowner's permission to avoid secondary damage such as mold or odor.

Drying is never a one-size-fits-all setup. SERVPRO uses industrial air movers that are carefully positioned at angles unique to the environment they are being used in to move moist air up and out by banking it off walls. We also employ dehumidifiers at the same time to lower air moisture for faster drying. Our assortment of LGR low grain refrigerant, desiccant units, and flat lay temporary ducts are industry leading equipment to grapple with moisture. Our goal is to disrupt the premises as little as possible, and we dry furnishings in place whenever possible, the pieces can be raised on blocks during the drying phase.

What About Items too Wet to Dry in Place?

In the case of items that technicians cannot restore on site, we offer a pack - out service. With the property owner's permission, we carefully move items to an outside facility for drying and restoration efforts. Content drying and cleaning are cornerstones of SERVPRO services, another reason Why we are the water loss restoration company of choice.

Even a Little Water Can Leave Big Odors

Our technicians do not rely on visuals to determine if a structure in St. Petersburg and its contents are dry. We use state-of-the-art moisture probes to ensure the affected areas are thoroughly dried. The amount of moisture behind walls, in subflooring and other areas, is checked to ensure it is dry. The reason for this is two-fold. Even a little dampness can invite mold growth, and there can be odors. Drying eliminates much of the unpleasant odor, but in the cases of residual scents left behind, SERVPRO has a multi-layered approach to that issue.

How do SERVPRO Technicians Deodorize Water Damaged Properties?

There is not one specific way to handle foul odors. Depending on the type of scent, different methods are utilized. SERVPRO technicians clean all surfaces once they are determined to be dry. We use antifungal and antibacterial cleaning agents that leave a pleasant scent, and in many cases, this is enough. While masking agents are useful for combatting mild odors, large-size pungent problems left behind by the water need more attention. Ultra-low volume (ULV) foggers, sometimes called "wet foggers" are very effective at neutralizing odors as they grab and reconstitute the odor molecule eliminating unpleasant odors in carpeting and upholstered furnishings. Many water cleanup sites require applications of multiple types of odor control to eliminate the smells. The key is, our technicians work with property owners until they are happy with the results.

Water Damage Cleanup Should Never be a DIY Project

Sometimes property owners are reluctant to contact us for emergency water cleanup because only a small area was affected. As you can see, even a little water has the potential to damage flooring and subflooring, harbor mold and leave a lingering odor. It is crucial that an excess of moisture in a property is addressed as quickly as possible to avoid additional damage that can be costly down the road.

Turning around in-property water damage to homes and businesses is a multi-layered approach that requires equal parts of expertise and equipment. If you have experienced an event that caused a water loss in your property, talk to SERVPRO of NE St. Petersburg, and we can turn it around and make it "Like it never even happened." We are happy to service the St. Petersburg community and area like 33701, 33702, and 33705.

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