El Niño is supposed to be the storm California has been patiently waiting for. We had a little taste of it this past week but apparently, there is more to come! For those of you who know me, I normally would suggest to not worry and to let God do his thing but, let’s admit it, He helps those who help themselves. If the forecast is correct, California’s prayers will be answered and it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for pretty powerful rainstorms! For California, rainstorms are a blessing since we have been in a drought for some time now but let’s be careful what we wish for!
Getting into the nitty gritty, we know excess water can rapidly create problems. Preparing for this kid (El Niño) will put you ahead of the ball game! I wanted to share some tips on how to prepare for this upcoming rainy season.
- If you have gutters, check them to make sure they are clean. If you don’t have any, it would be a good idea to install some. Don’t worry, you don’t have to break your piggy bank; if you can’t make the expense now, look for other options. I have pavers in the back part of my house; I opted to install a drain for the excess water to escape. I’ll worry about the gutters later in the year.
- Check for any leaks inside and outside the home. Check your roof; the heat may have caused the structure of your home to shrink and to open up creating leak points. A roofer or a handyman can help determine if there is damage (estimates should be free of charge). The inside of your home should be checked as well. Seal any holes from cables and wires that go through to exterior walls.
- Check your windows/sills
- This is random but still helpful! Check for potential ant invasions. Water attracts ants inside your home and that can totally be upsetting and even embarrassing if you have guests over. Earlier this year I used Eli from Geopest; very knowledgeable and totally affordable!
- Store some sand bags. Your local fire station should have some at no charge. I have not made my trip over yet, but it’s definitely in my “to do list”!
If your property has been damaged by water that may have been caused by flooding, roof leaks because of “El Niño”, toilet or sink overflow, time is key! Here’s where Aqua-Dry can help. Excess water causes serious structural damage to a property as well as mold growth if it’s not taken care of in a timely manner. Here is what we suggest you do:
- Emergency Service Call: Contact us right away! Whether it is at 11am, 5pm, even 3am, a delay of even just a few hours can increase the severity of the damage.
- Inspection and Damage Evaluation: We can help identify where the water is coming from if you have not yet; we identify the type of water (see below for the three different types of water damages).
- Water removal process. We do this by using the truck mount system vacuum. The extraction removes the majority of the water which in turn will reduce the drying time of your property. After the extraction, the carpet and padding under the carpet will be inspected to determine if it will need to be removed to protect the subfloor.
- Drying and Dehumidification: After we have extracted most of the water, your floors and walls may look dry but they are still damp to the touch. Drywall and wood are porous and will hold significant amounts of moisture. To avoid these from warping or growing mold, we will set up commercial blowers and dehumidifiers to remove the water that is retained in the building materials. We will then monitor the drying process.
- Cleaning and Sanitizing: This is the last step of the process. Here we can help with the cleaning and sanitizing of any belongings such as furniture, upholstery, and other items that can be restored.
As I mentioned in the “Inspection and Damage Evaluation”, there are three different types of water in order to assess the situation prior to clean up; clean, grey and black (note: “grey” and “black” are not necessarily the colors of the water that you will see!).
Clean
When a pipe bursts or an appliance breaks down, or there is a leak in your roof that allows rain water to enter your home, the water will be considered “clean.” This is the easiest type of water damage to handle, since there will not be too much bacteria living in the water. The biggest danger clean water presents is if the area that has been damaged is not cleaned and dried properly. This can result in mold and fungus growth. If the water has been standing in your home for over twenty-four hours make sure to let us know.
Gray
Gray water is water that is somewhat contaminated, either because of the nature of the source or because of neglect. For example, if water is left untreated for a long period of time, it can become “gray” water. When a toilet or washing machine overflows, the water would be considered gray because of its source.
Black
The most dangerous of the three types of water damage is “black” water. It is usually a result of natural disasters or sewage damage. Black water can include toxic materials such as bacterial diseases, chemicals, pesticides, microbes and more. If your home has suffered this type of damage, contacts us right away to begin the disinfecting process before you try to handle the problem on your own.
***If we find that you need more than what we can offer, trust that we will be upfront and honest with you. We will also help you connect with someone that will have the same integrity and values as ourselves***
Thank you for taking the time to read and please share if you find useful.
Gabby
