Impacts of Residential Water Damage

11/2/2020 (Permalink)

A flooded basement, a leaky roof, a burst pipe, and a backed up sewage system all have one major thing in common – they cause water damage. Whatever the cause of water damage to your home, it is something that needs to be taken seriously and acted upon quickly to mitigate the extent of the damage and ensure the safety of you and your family.

But what exactly are the dangers of water damage? How does it affect different parts of your home?

Three categories of water:

• Category 1: “Clean” water from sanitary sources, most notably the pipes in your home. This water has not yet been used for anything within your home, but is still fresh and clean.
• Category 2: “Grey” water from outside of your home, such as ground water that has seeped into your basement, and post-use water from home appliances.
• Category 3: “Black” water from unsanitary sources that could contain human or animal waste. This water includes flood water from rivers and lakes, and any water containing sewage. This water should be treated as toxic.

If you are dealing with Category 3 water, you need to take a step back and call in the professionals immediately. This water can be unsafe to even touch or breathe around, and anything it has touched needs to either be disposed of or professionally cleaned and sanitized. A professional water damage remediation company will be able to determine whether contaminated belongings can be salvaged.

Even if they do not contain raw sewage, flood waters from outside of your home can carry a vast array of bacteria, toxins, mold, and even fungi. If your home was flooded by anything but clean tap water, your family may be exposed to these contaminants, and sterilization efforts must be undertaken.

The most commonly recognized danger of water damage is mold growth. Mold spores begin to form in as little as 24 hours after the water damage occurs. Mold isn’t something you want to mess with, and if you suspect that you have mold growing as a result of your water damage, or water was allowed to sit for more than 24 hours, the best thing you can do is bring in a mold remediation company like SERVPRO to address the problem.

Clearly these contaminants aren’t things you want to sit around and multiply in your home, and it is imperative to deal with water damage right away. When your home is compromised by water damage, you can trust the professionals at SERVPRO of Baldwin and Monroe to make it look "Like it never even happened."