How to Deal with Flood Damage
First General is your first response when it comes to dealing with flood damage. If you encounter flooding in your home or commercial property, you need to ensure that you’re following the right process to properly deal with the flooding and mitigate the damage to your property. Flood damage is burdensome, but you don’t need to deal with it alone. First General Edmonton is your go-to property restoration company who will walk with you through the entire process of restoring flood damage. We provide water damage restoration in Edmonton and the surrounding area.
What is Your First Step After Finding Flood Damage?
Finding flood damage can be stressful. If you’re staring at a puddle of water it’s difficult to figure out your first moves to mitigate the damage and ensure you’re following the right process. The most important first step is to figure out where the water is coming from. If it’s a broken pipe or an appliance in your home, turn off the water to stop the flood damage from spreading. After you’ve found the source of water damage (and stopped it if you are able), you can go about trying to save any of your belongings that are in the flood to hopefully dry them out and keep them from being damaged. However, if it poses a risk to your person, you should not enter the flooded area.
When Should You Not Enter the Flooded Area
- The flood is sewage or human waste
- There is a risk of electrical shock
- You are unsure of the stability of the ground under the flooded areas
- The water has a chemical pollution
- You do not have light to see
Floods can pose a great risk for people without the proper personal protective equipment (PPE). There are a few things to look out for if there is a risk of electrical shock when it comes to flooding. If you see water dripping from light fixtures, water in or around any electrical devices or outlets, do not enter the area. Our team always brings an electrician with us to restoration projects to ensure the area is safe before we carry on.
What Causes Flooding?
Common causes for flooding change depending on the time of year. In colder seasons, burst pipes are one of the most common causes for flood damage. If your pipes aren’t getting enough heat they can freeze, causing the water to expand and the pipes to crack. The water is then going to leak and flood. Other causes of flooding include blockages in pipes causing the water to seep, old or malfunctioning equipment (such as septic systems or pipes), as well as leaks in roof systems or building envelopes paired with heavy snow or rainfall.
How Do You Prevent Flooding?
Flooding is expensive to repair and restore, so the best thing you can do is work to prevent flooding in your home or commercial space.
Steps to Prevent Flooding:
- Ensure your piping systems are insulated
- Maintain Sewage Connection
- Maintain Your Roof and Building Envelope
- Ensure Your Property Has Proper Drainage
- Winter Maintenance
The most important step in preventing flooding is to ensure there is adequate heat throughout your home or building and all the water systems. In the winter, freezing pipes is the number one cause of flooding, so ensuring that the pipes are adequately insulated and kept warm is the best way to prevent flooding. Another important step in preventing flooding is to get your sewage connection (and septic system) inspected and ensure it’s properly maintained. The same goes for your roof and all aspects of your home – ensure your roof and cracks are properly maintained and repaired. It’s important that your property drains well. In the Spring with the rain and large amounts of runoff, you want to ensure that the water will drain away from your building and not flood into your home or building.
Finally, ensure that your property is maintained for winter. In the summer months, check that the heat is working properly within your home or commercial building, repair any ice damage that occurred from the previous winter, and that your building envelope (including the roof) is secure with no cracks or leaks. As it gets colder it’s important to perform other maintenance such as removing any external hoses or properly insulating and protecting your vestibules.
Can You Prevent Mold After a Flood?
Mold occurs when material is damp and the microscopic fungi are allowed to grow. We can prevent mold from growing by ensuring that everything is properly dried. When you work with First General, our technicians and project managers perform extensive humidity and moisture readings on all the damaged materials. Using infrared cameras and moisture meters, we can guarantee that when we dry an area, it will not be a cause of mold. If an area is damp for too long or the water is unclean, it is at risk of mold even if properly dried out, so these materials need to be removed.
Can You Deodorize Damaged Items from a Flood?
Whether your property smells odd due to smoke from a fire that caused a flood or the musty smell of items that haven’t been dried properly, your items won’t necessarily need to be thrown away or completely renovated. In many cases, it is possible to restore items and deodorize them. First General Edmonton uses a hydroxyl room. We clean the contents on site, and, depending on the damage of the structure, a lot of times we remove porous materials and clean the materials with appropriate chemicals. We then set up hydroxyls in our clients’ home, sometimes turning their entire house into a hydroxyl chamber. We then work with the insurance company to kind of determine an agreed approach that’s cost effective, justifiable, and safe.
When we end up tearing flooring or drywall down to the studs, we also provide a shellac material to ensure that no smell will ever permeate to the new flooring or wall coverings.
Flooding can cause a lot of damage to your home or property, but First General will ensure you have the best possible outcome from a difficult situation. If you encounter flood damage, call First General. We will help you navigate your insurance policy, work alongside plumbers and electricians, and restore your property so it’s as good as new!