Water Damage Recovery From a Frozen Pipes

StructureMedic shares do-it-yourself tips to ensure that no flood leaves you helpless. Six solid steps that will get you dry and prevent your home from being permanently water damaged.

1. Shutoff electrical power.

If it is safe to do so, make your way to the breaker outlet and shut off the power. This is an extremely important step since it will prevent the risk of electrical shock. Make sure that you are not standing in water when doing so. If need be, elevate yourself from the water by standing on a wooden or plastic stool. Make sure that what you are standing on is not made of metal and will NOT conduct electricity. This could be incredibly dangerous. If flood water seems to be getting close to the circuits and you cannot reach them, please call your power supplier to have the electricity supply safely disconnected for you.

2. Remove your furniture.

Make sure to lift all of your furniture, along with other important belongings, out of the flooded area and into a higher, dryer space. The sooner you remove your furniture, the less likely your furniture will be permanently damaged. Some types of furniture, such as solid wood, may be more resilient than others. Materials such as particle board, however, tend to swell once in contact with water, and are much more difficult to recover. All furniture should be removed from the water as soon as possible.

3. Drain excess water.

Flood water that is inside of your home needs to be removed immediately. Go out and get yourself a few drain pumps that you can connect to a common hose in order to rid of all unwanted flood waters from your home. Keep in mind that you want to have a hose that is long enough to dump the water far away from the foundation of your home. You definitely do not want the water to find it’s way back in.

4. Get dry.

After getting all excess water out of your home, you will want to dry out all flooring and carpeting as well. In order to dry your flooring, it is a good idea to get some fans running to help with circulation. Move your carpeting to a dryer area and vacuum the carpeting to suck up most of the water. Make sure to remove all pads from the carpeting and let those dry separately. If the sun is shining, it would be an excellent idea to bring all carpeting and pads outside for further drying.

5. Dehumidify.

Run a dehumidifier to keep humidity levels down and hopefully prevent molding. Do not let the water sit in the dehumidifier. The water needs to be removed as quickly as possible (and as far away from the house as possible), as it is important to decrease the chances of harmful mold and mildew. It is recommended to use a dehumidifier system that is capable of hooking up to a hose, automatically taking care of these problems.

6. Fight bacteria.

Water that comes in from the outside is likely to have yard chemicals in it which are poison, as well as animal waste. An anti-bactericide will be needed in order to fight against unwanted bacteria. It would also be wise to invest in some anti-mold treatments to fight against and prevent mold from growing. Mold can cause illness and is highly damaging to the home. Mold and mildew can begin to grow within only 48 hours if not taken care of.

These steps should put you on the right track to feeling at home again. If any problems occur or you have any questions, please contact us. Water damage can be tricky and expand quickly. StructureMedic wants you and your family to be as safe as possible.

Recover from Flood Damage