Categories Insurance Claims

What is an Insurance Deductible?

You’ve heard about your insurance deductible, you’ve worried about your deductible, you’ve feared your deductible, but have you ever understood exactly what your deductible is?

Your insurance deductible is the amount of money that you are responsible for when you place an insurance claim. The amount of your deductible varies greatly depending on your insurance policy. We’ve seen customers with deductibles as low and $250, or as high as $15,000.

(Wouldn’t that be a great bit of information to know before you had to deal with a water damage claim?…)

When dealing with water damage the insurance company typically pays the contractor directly for the water mitigation portion. Then they hold the deductible out of the repair check they pay to you the customer. Brace yourself for math…

For example: The insurance adjuster writes a repair estimate for $15,000. Your deductible is $1,000. The adjuster would then release a check to you for $14,000. Total repairs ($15,000) minus deductible ($1,000) equals your repair payment ($14,000).

Once repairs are complete it is up to you to pay your contractor for the withheld amount. It is also common to work out a deal with your contractor in order to save you from having to pay back your deductible.

NOTE: You often have to give something up in order to make this happen. (Replace your carpet with a cheaper material, do the painting yourself, or decided to not replace certain items, ect…)

As I mentioned before, if you don’t know what your deductible is look through your policy or reach out to your insurance agent. Don’t be the guy or gal that learns you have a $5000 limit (see link) with a $2500 deductible when your finished basement is flooded with a foot of water. (You laugh now but we’ve seen it a hundred times.)

 

NEED HELP WITH WATER DAMAGE? CALL (317) 315-5071

 

Author Corbin Clow
Categories Insurance Claims

How long does a Water Damage Insurance Claim last?

How long does a Water Damage Insurance Claim last?

Good question! If I knew the answer to this I would have psychic powers, and trust me I wish I did know. The reason I don’t know exactly is because each water damage job is different.

Some jobs are very simple, like a small area of wet carpet in a basement. Other jobs are much more complicated, like a toilet overflow in an upstairs bathroom that has been running for multiple weeks and has affected the upstairs, main level, and basement.

Obviously, the severity of the water damage dictates the amount of time it takes a water mitigation contractor to dry out the property, and then complete the appropriate repairs.

Another factor that affects the length of time is the insurance company that is settling the claim. The more claims they’re dealing with, the slower the process becomes. You can image if a hurricane hits Florida, and 75,000 people unexpectedly file a claim, the process as a whole slows way down. Not a good situation…

So you get the point. There are a lot of factors that play into how long a water damage insurance claim lasts, some of which are out of your control.

Having said that if the home owner, insurance adjuster, and water damage contractor generally have good communication; a water damage claim typically takes between 1 and 2 months.

 

Rough Time Line

A rough time line is: 1 week to dry out the property, 2 to 3 weeks to settle estimates and release funds to the insured, and 1 to 3 weeks to schedule and complete repairs.

I know what you’re thinking, sounds like a blast… Truth be told it takes time to do things the right way, and if you are unfortunate enough to have to deal with water damage, that 1 to 2 months goes faster than you’d think. Scouts honor.

 

NEED HELP WITH WATER DAMAGE? CALL (317) 315-5071

 

Author Corbin Clow
Categories Water Damage

Basement Water Damage

Basement Water Damage

Restorex Disaster Restoration helps a lot of customers who experience water damage in their basements. We understand the stresses and anxieties that come with a flooded basement. The video below gives a brief overview of the required steps to properly clean up a basement after it has been affected with water damage.

 

Basement Water Damage Clean-Up Process

Step 1: Water Damage Inspection

Step 2: Water Removal

Step 3: Removals

Step 4: Drying Equipment Set up

Step 5: Equipment Monitoring

Step 6: Final Evaluation

 

Water Damage Inspection

The water damage inspection for a flooded basement is to determine the extent of the water damage in the affected basement. The flooring can be visually inspected but sometimes the water can affect carpet pad without showing on the carpet surface. How Restorex Investigates Water Damage.

The next step is to determine if the water affected the walls.  Typically, the water will only reach 1-2 inches throughout the basement.  The walls can show wetness up as high 12 inches.  The paper on the drywall will wick the water up the surface showing the wall to be wet above the baseboards.

 

Water Removal

The most effective way to clean up a flooded basement is with water removal.  We are able to remove water from basements with extractors.  We use the best water extractors on the market and they can remove water through the carpet and pad.  During extraction we will need to move the furniture and contents in the basement to run the extractor over all the affected areas.

 

Removals

Depending on the extent of water damage we might be required to make removals of certain building materials.  In a basement with water damage, this can include baseboards, drywall and insulation.  Every basement is built differently so it just depends on the initial inspection to decide what is required to be removed.

At this time we would spray a plant based anti-microbial product call Benefect.  This product is a hospital grade disinfectant and will help prevent any microbial or mold growth during the water damage cleanup process.

 

Drying Equipment Set Up

Drying equipment is used to remove the remaining water from the basement.  Standard drying equipment for water damage restoration projects are Low Grain Refrigerant (LGR) Dehumidifiers, Electric Heaters, and Air Movers.  This equipment provides the necessary energy to remove the water from the affected materials. Read about Restorex’s water damage equipment.

 

 

Equipment Monitoring

The drying equipment needs to run for a minimum of 3 days.  During those 3 days we need to stop by to check on the equipment.  During these visits we will make sure all the equipment is running properly and get temperature and relative humidity readings.  These readings tell us if the equipment is creating a good drying environment.

 

Final Evaluation

After 3 days we will inspect the basement and determine if the building materials have been dried to their original moisture content.  If everything has dried properly, we will remove the drying equipment and adjust the furniture and content back to their original locations.  The water damage repairs will come after the drying is complete.

 

 

NEED HELP WITH WATER DAMAGE? CALL (317) 315-5071

 

 

Author Corbin Clow
Categories Water Damage

Standard Procedures for Water Damage Restoration

There are no special licenses required to work in the water mitigation industry. Any man with a van and a fan can get into the business and start making money, and trust me a lot of them do.

However, there is a standard that all legitimate companies should be following. It is set by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). They have laid out the “guidelines” of our industry in a book titled the “S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration”.

The S500 includes key words, definitions, operating procedures, and a list of other great information specific to the water mitigation field.

 

S500 standard and reference guide for professional water damage restoration

 

Have you ever bought a new toy that came with a booklet of specific directions? You had a choice in that instance to either follow the directions, or “wing it” and figure it out on your own. There isn’t anyone making you do it one way or another.

If you decide to “wing it” the worst that can happen is the toy doesn’t get assembled correctly and you’ll have to go back and start from scratch.

If a water mitigation company isn’t following the S500, the worst that can happen is causing serious injury or even death in a customer’s home. When you’re dealing with water, fire, and mold damage, problems can escalate very quickly if they are not being handled properly.

At that point, the man with a van and a fan who decided to “wing it” will be explaining why he didn’t follow the S500 “guidelines” to an attorney in a court of law.

While the S500 is technically a book of “guidelines”, reputable water mitigation companies treat its content very seriously. It serves as the standard for how we do things and why.

 

 

Need help with Water Damage?

Call (317) 315-5071

 

 

 

Author Corbin Clow
Categories Water Damage

Categories of Water Damage

What are the categories of water damage?

Categories of Water Damage: the categories of water, as defined by the, IICRC S500 document , refer to the range of contamination in water, considering both its originating source and quality after it contacts materials present on the job site.

 

Category 1 Water Damage:

Category 1 water originates from a sanitary water source and does not pose substantial risk from dermal, ingestion, or inhalation exposure. Examples of Category 1 water sources can include, but are not limited to: broken water supply lines; tub or sink overflows with no contaminants; appliance malfunctions involving water-supply lines; melting ice or snow; falling rain water; broken toilet tanks; and toilet bowls that do not contain contaminants or additives.

 

category 1 water damage

 

Category 2 Water Damage:

Water that is consider category 2 contains contaminants and has the potential to cause discomfort or sickness if contacted or consumed by humans. This water can contain potentially unsafe levels of microorganisms or nutrients for microorganisms, as well as other organic or inorganic matter (chemical or biological).

Examples of category 2 water can include, but are not limited to: discharge from dishwashers or washing machines; overflows from washing machines; overflows from toilet bowls on the room side of the trap with some urine but not feces; seepage due to hydro static pressure; broken aquariums and punctured water beds.

 

category 2 water damage

 

Note: Seepage due to hydrostatic pressure is most often pertaining to sump pump backups.

 

Category 3 Water Damage:

Category 3 water is grossly contaminated and can contain pathogenic, toxigenic or other harmful agents and can cause significant adverse reactions to humans if contacted or consumed.

Examples of Category 3 water can include, but are not limited to: sewage; wasteline backflows that originate from beyond any trap regardless of visible content or color; all forms of flooding from seawater; rising water from rivers or streams; and other contaminated water entering or affecting the indoor environment, such as wind-driven rain from hurricanes, tropical storms, or other weather-related events.

Category 3 water can carry trace levels of regulated or hazardous materials (e.g. pesticides, or toxic organic substances).

 

 

The category of water damage determines how a water damage contractor will complete the mitigation process.  Each category of water requires a different procedure for cleaning-up and drying the home or business.  If you are experiencing water damage and need immediate assistance give us a call.

 

NEED HELP WITH WATER DAMAGE? CALL (317) 315-5071

 

 

 

Author Corbin Clow
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