Categories Restoration Tips

Does Water Damage Ruin Carpet?

Does water damage ruin carpet and pad? When a tree falls in the woods does it make a sound? Questions like these fuel debates that can last a lifetime. Having said that I’ll give you Restorex Disaster Restoration’s opinion on the matter. (On carpet and pad that is, not on whether a tree makes a sound…although it does, right…? My head hurts…)

You’ve heard this before but the short answer to this question is no, however it’s not always that simple. To truly understand whether carpet/pad is ruined or not, you must first understand the different categories of water.

For most water damage scenarios just follow the rule of thumb that if the water affecting the carpet/pad is clean water (category 1) it can be saved, if it’s black water (category 3) it must be removed and replaced.

The most common scenario where the carpet/pad debate comes into play is when dealing with a sump pump backup in a finished basement (gray water/category 2). As long as the customer has discovered the water damage relatively quickly (within 1 or 2 days) Restorex Disaster Restoration removes the water using our high powered water extractors, applies a plant based antimicrobial spray to help prevent mold growth and then dries both the carpet/pad in place. Once the dry out is complete we have a carpet cleaner clean and deodorize the area. Piece of cake.  Watch a Quick video on how to dry wet carpet and pad.

 

 

There are a few exceptions to this rule. Carpet and pad are very absorbent materials. If your carpet is very old, exposed to pets, not cleaned regularly or a combination of all 3, even clean water can drum up some downright nasty odors. (You know who you are out there…) In these situations, we leave it up to the insurance company and homeowner to decide whether the carpet/pad is to be dried and cleaned or removed and replaced.

Another exception is if the water damage causes the carpet to de-laminate. Carpet De-lamination is when the adhesive that is meant to hold the carpet together fails. As a result, the carpet comes apart in multiple areas leaving it ruined.

Most of the time this is due to a carpet’s lack of quality or age. Just like anything else, you get what you pay for. If homeowners decide to buy the cheapest carpet available, it is not going to hold up to water damage very well. However, if they selected a higher quality carpet, it can handle much more of a beating.

So to recap: water damage doesn’t ruin carpet, unless it does… In all seriousness each scenario is different. Use this article as a guide to help you make an informed decision when dealing with wet carpet and pad at your home or business.

 

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

 

 

Author Corbin Clow
Categories Water Damage

How to Remove Drywall affected by Water Damage?

 

When drywall is affected by water damage it can hold a lot of water and sometimes fall apart.  If the drywall is not properly dried or removed in a reasonable amount of time, the home could be at risk for mold damage.  Drywall does not always need to be removed during a water damage restoration project but when it does it can be a messy process if you don’t use the proper equipment.

A common tool for water damage restoration companies is a dustless drywall saw, shown in the video above.  The saw is connected to a vacuum that collects the dust while it cuts the drywall.  This can save a restoration contractor lots of time cleaning up a job and save a customer from having a layer of dust on everything in the home.

The drywall saw is set to cut the thickness of the drywall.  Typically 1/2″ to 5/8″.  We set our saw to cut just before the wood studs to ensure we aren’t cutting into the wood that holds the wall up.  When we are finished making the initial cut, we have to come back through and use a razor knife or utility knife to make the final cut before removing the drywall from the wall.

After the drywall is removed, we like to put the pieces into a thick plastic bag before carrying it out of the home.  These bags are typically 6 mil clear poly bags.

If don’t have access to a drywall saw or you are a home owner looking for a DIY approach you can use a drywall saw to make the initial cut and then make the final cut with the razor/utility knife.

 

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

 

Author Corbin Clow
Categories Restoration Tips

Easy Ways to Troubleshoot a Sump Pump

Easy Ways to Troubleshoot a Sump Pump

One of the most common problems Restorex Disaster Restoration sees in our line of work is flooded basements and flooded crawlspaces due to sump pumps that aren’t working. If you have a basement or crawlspace, a sump pump is an integral part of what keeps your home dry, clean and safe. Read more about How sump pumps work.

 

 

 

When a sump pump stops working it can lead to significant water damage that can be expensive to clean up. If you find out that your sump pump isn’t working there are a few easy steps you can take, before calling a professional, that may save you a lot of money. Here is a quick video showing 6 tips you should know about your sump pump.

 

3 Easy Steps to help you with your sump pump

Step 1- Check the Power Source

Step 2- Check the Sump Pit for Debris

Step 3- Check the Sump Pump Float

 

Step 1- Check the Power Source

Sump pumps are plugged into a standard outlet. Make sure that no one has unplugged the sump pump in order to plug something else in. (You may laugh but we see it all the time…) Also, make sure that the circuit breaker hasn’t tripped for one reason or another.

(For example: Someone plugs a vacuum cleaner into the same circuit breaker as the sump pump. The additional power overloads it and as a result it trips.)

At that point you just need to reset the circuit breaker and the sump pump will kick back on. In both scenarios you can easily avoid costly water damage by doing some investigation on your own.

 

Step 2- Check the Sump Pit for Debris

Basement mechanical rooms, where sump pumps are usually located, are notorious for becoming storage areas. (You know who you are…) Since many sump pits don’t have a cover, contents can fall into the pit and block the pump or the drain line from operating properly.

This can happen without you even knowing about it. If your pump isn’t working, clear a path and shine a flashlight into the pit. Make sure the pump and the drain line are clear of debris. If there is something wedged in there, unplug your pump, reach down and fetch it out.

It’s a lot less expensive for you to do it than a licensed plumber charging 200 dollars an hour. (I know, it’s amazing how much plumbers make.)

 

Step 3- Check the Sump Pump Float

There have been so many instances over the years where a homeowner will realize their sump pump isn’t working, frantically call several plumbers who are delayed in getting there and have to watch helplessly as their basement and contents flood right in front of their eyes.

When the plumber finally arrives, he simply giggles the float and the pump kicks back on. It is at that moment that the homeowner realizes that the water damage could have easily been avoided by simply checking the float.

Sump pump floats are notorious for getting stuck, particularly when the pump is experiencing a heavy volume of water, like during a storm. If the float is stuck, the pump won’t turn on and the result can be disastrous. An easy giggle may save you some serious jingle. (I don’t know if that one makes sense but I’m going with it anyway.)

If you realize your sump pump isn’t working use these 3 easy steps to troubleshoot your problem before calling a professional. It may save you from having to get to know Restorex Disaster Restoration on a first name basis. (We’re pretty nice guys but if we’re in your house it means something has went seriously wrong…)

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Corbin Clow
Categories Before You Hire

Water Damage Restoration in Greenwood Indiana

Restorex Disaster Restoration helped a customer with water damage in Greenwood Indiana that was caused by a dishwasher. The water damage affected the kitchen floor and the basement ceiling below the kitchen.  Restorex was able to dry a wood sub-floor affected by water damage with a slate floor installed on top of it.  Below are some pictures of the water damage restoration process.

 

We made the decision to dry the slate floor in place after discussing the situation with the home owner and the insurance adjuster.  The slate floor was installed all through the kitchen, hallway, laundry room, and bathroom.  If we removed the small amount of slate that was affected, there was potential that all the flooring would have to be removed and replaced.  The home owner didn’t want to go through the demolition process and the insurance adjuster wanted to restore the water damage the most efficient way possible.

The multiple layered floor was approximately 2 in thick and the total affected area of floor was 100 square feet. We used a 220 volt heater and a plastic containment in the basement to provide the heat energy necessary to dry the water damage below the wood floor. We used a small electric heater and a small plastic containment upstairs in the Kitchen to provide heat from the top side of the slate.

We dried the kitchen floor for 5 days getting the temperature of as high as 134 degrees. These pictures show the equipment set up and a few readings during the water damage restoration process. We set stainless steel screws in the sub-floor approximately 3/4″ to read the surface between the sub-floor and concrete backer board, to ensure that we properly dried the floor all the way through. The moisture content started above 40 percent on our moisture meters but decreased to between 8 and 17 percent throughout the affected areas.

 

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

Author Corbin Clow
Categories Insurance Claims

What is A Supplement Estimate

 

WHAT IS A SUPPLEMENT ESTIMATE?

A supplement estimate is an estimate requesting more money from the insurance company. Once water damage has been cleaned up, an insurance adjuster writes a repair estimate to get the customers property put back together. (Repair drywall, replace flooring, paint, ect.) Once that estimate is complete Restorex Disaster Restoration reviews it to make sure it covers all the repairs that need to take place.

If the adjuster left something out, we can send the insurance company a supplement estimate that includes those forgotten items.

For example: An adjuster might pay for replacing cabinets but forget to include detaching and resetting the counter-top. They might pay to install new baseboard but forget to paint them 2 coats. Adjusters can be so forgetful sometimes…

Note: All adjusters and legitimate contractors estimate through a system called Xactimate. Estimates can be sent back and forth in this system until a final price is agreed upon.

 

Insurance Adjuster’s Estimates

Usually adjuster’s estimates don’t have enough money in them in my opinion. (If you asked an adjuster, they would probably claim that restoration companies’ estimates are way too high.)

However, as a property owner you should be on my side because if you’ve ever been through a remodel, you know that having additional money is never a bad thing. Unforeseen circumstances almost always come up. Especially when you’re making new repairs to an older home. That’s just the nature of the beast.

The reason why I believe that adjuster’s estimates are low, is because while they do write a lot of them, very few adjusters actually understand how to perform the repairs.

What I mean by that is it’s one thing to know what needs to be done, (For example: ceiling drywall that has been affected by water damage needs scraped, re-textured, and painted).  But it’s another thing to actually know how to perform that task.

A lot of home repairs are very difficult, even for our experienced carpenters.

 

Every Water Damage is Unique

Each home we work on is unique and presents a different set of challenges. Have you ever textured drywall on a ceiling? If you haven’t, try it sometime and let me know how it goes. Now imagine trying to match a new section of texture on a repaired ceiling with the texture that is already there.

It may take our carpenters two or three times to get it right, and they may not be able to match it at all depending on how complicated the existing texture is.

Adjusters typically pay enough money to make the match on the first try because they don’t understand, or care. By doing this they are able to save the insurance company money and aren’t held accountable if what they paid for doesn’t work out.

 

Let a Professional Contractor Review the Estimate

Ensure a professional restoration company reviews the adjuster’s repair estimate before work begins.  This will allow the process to be as smooth as possible. If they haven’t, then a supplement estimate needs to be submitted in order to account for those left out items.

Program note: Not all adjusters are evil penny pinchers, whose sole purpose is to screw their customers and save the insurance company money. There are plenty of talented adjusters out there writing good repair estimates and taking great care of their customers. However, since you as the homeowner can’t choose which adjuster settles your claim, it’s a good idea to have their repair estimate reviewed. Better safe than sorry.

 

Unexpected Circumstances and Repairs

Another scenario where supplement estimates come in handy is when something unexpected comes up during the repairs.

For example: An adjuster might originally write to only replace vinyl flooring.  However during removals it is determined that the sub-floor underneath it is rotted out and needs replaced also.

At that point Restorex Disaster Restoration would contact the adjuster to let them know we’ve come across something unexpected and the details of the repairs has changed. We would then submit a supplement estimate to the insurance company to compensate for that, and any other differences.

Adjusters don’t have Superman vision, (Or at least none of the ones I’ve met have…) so they can’t always tell in advance exactly what challenges a repair job might have in store. The good news is that supplement estimates are available to make up for left out or unforeseen items.

Think of it as an estimating safety net. This allows Restorex Disaster Restoration to get our customers fixed up right without having to rely solely on the original repair estimate. Praise the Lord.

 

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

 

Author Corbin Clow
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Copyright © 2024 Restorex Disaster Restoration. | Website Designed By Melling Marketing Solutions
Click To Call