Water damage has no clock. A 2 AM bathroom flood from a burst pipe, a washing machine that malfunctions while you’re on vacation, and rain or sewer backup flooding your basement all come completely unannounced. What homeowners may not realize is that the timepiece starts ticking as soon as the water enters your home. Everything changes over time once the water begins to work its damage magic.
There is a monumental difference between the scale of problems that water damage presents based on the speed at which professionals arrive on the scene. It’s not a tactic designed to instill panic just for the sake of panic. The reality of what is happening inside your walls, floors, and ceilings when things get wet is true all the same.
What Happens in the First 24 Hours
Immediately after water enters your property, the chaos begins. Water spreads. It doesn’t just stay in one place. Water works its way through porous surfaces, under flooring, and soaks up drywall through capillary action. Our beloved drywall works as a sponge, soaking up every ounce of water it can fit, and wood within your frames also begins to swell. Carpeting acts as a sponge, soaking up water across entire rooms.
Where speed matters most is when professionals arrive to mitigate this issue. When water damage restoration professionals are on the scene with industrial equipment quickly enough, they have the opportunity to remove the source of damage before it has time to destroy costly things that are hard to replace. There’s a massive difference between flooding that can be removed from just the surface of materials and flooding that makes its way into the subfloor of those same materials.
Many people reach out to emergency water damage services soon after they discover water problems in their homes, meaning there’s a small window of opportunity for professionals to mitigate future damage before it presents itself over time. Fast arrival gives restoration professionals the opportunity to use moisture meters to ensure crews dry out every last inch of affected areas. They also have the ability to use commercial dehumidifiers before condensation has had a chance to cover all surfaces.
Within 24-48 Hours
If mitigating the damage within the first day deals primarily with physical damage, then operating within this time frame helps to avoid biological damage. Mold spores are everywhere, but they need moisture to thrive. Once water floods an area, it presents ideal conditions for mold growth.
Restoration specialists have a specific window of around 24-48 hours in which they have the opportunity to prevent further damage caused by this inevitable biological process that sets into motion as soon as waters rise. The timeline is crucial for stopping these biological threats that develop in virtually every building material within this point of time.
Restoration techs work with the understanding that just because something feels dry, it doesn’t mean there isn’t mold going on underneath. They understand that moisture trapped beneath seemingly dry surfaces is what creates perfect conditions for mold growth.
Professional dehumidification is also very different from DIY dehumidification using additional fans and windows. Professionals have guidelines they follow when using industrial fans and dehumidifiers. They make measurements with these machines into account for temperature and general airflow patterns around your property.
The consequences of water damage beyond 48 hours changes from drying timeframes to restoration timeframes. What once was a drying operation becomes a restoration project. Materials that could have been saved from the water damage can no longer be salvaged and need replacing.
Wood framing for doors and windows as well as other structures within your property will begin developing deep warping after drying out. Structures made from metal may begin displaying rust and corrosion. Drying out properties within this time frame also ensures that electrical systems remain intact; anything that gets wet will not be able to be used safely after drying out.
This window of time ensures that even victims of heavy flooding have their properties dried out before they present a safety hazard after being filled with floodwater. Insulation within your walls will also begin compressed even once dried out.
The cost also changes monumentally when restoration professionals are not contacted in a timely manner. Victims of flooding will not only be indebted to their insurance companies for thousands of dollars’ worth of unnecessary work, but they may also experience resentment from those same companies about those debts.
This is different from being charged for drying, sanitizing, and cleaning all affected materials and areas when professionals are contacted soon after disaster strikes.
Industrial Equipment
Professional companies that provide these restoration services possess industrial equipment that makes things possible regarding restoration projects that DIY efforts could never dream of achieving.
Truck-mounted extraction units can remove thousands of gallons of water at a time. Commercial-grade dehumidifiers work harder and more efficiently than an average home dehumidifier could ever hope to achieve. Infrared thermal imaging cameras can assess where to look behind walls without having to investigate destructively.
All this equipment needs to be implemented quickly. The longer it takes people to help restore your property, the deeper water damages every reachable area possible within your home.
Documentation and Insurance Benefits
Treatment for claims is expedited when professional companies assist victims sooner rather than later. Restoration services also help document every measure taken for all parties involved in restoration claims by taking photographs of all work performed and damages observed along the way.
This comes in handy when trying to settle up with your insurance company after disaster strikes. Providing experts with precise readings regarding moisture levels also comes in helpful for insurance agents when figuring out how much restoration work needs to be done after how much restoration work needs just needs cleaning.
Fast response times give restoration technicians enough respect in a claims process pioneered by insurance companies for providing useful information after moisture meters take readings.
Another thing agents appreciate is being able to provide insurance victims with information on what they can do immediately after restoring parties leave the property to continue mitigating the effects of flooding.
Proportional steps taken up after instructions are given free up insurance companies from being held responsible for any subsequent damages after insurance-covered mitigation efforts take place. It also gives private companies a sound reputation should they provide even just slightly incompetent services.
In Conclusion
Water damage response is not about perfection, though professional companies strive for mastery rather than just mediocrity.
Just like response times should not be stressful but rather inspiring places where we learn how to limit how bad everything could be thanks to speed demons coming in with expertise to stop small disasters from becoming an even bigger problem than initially presented by just nature herself!
The faster professionals are able to greet you after disaster strikes, the more money and time you save…not just yourself, but your home too!
