Water Damage By the Minute: What Happens When You Don’t Call SERVPRO

5/6/2016 (Permalink)

It doesn’t matter where the source comes from. When water damage strikes a home, it is always an unwanted burden for the homeowner. Water damage can increase a homeowner’s stress level for many different reasons, one being that the extent of the water damage is dependent upon how long it takes you to find it. 

Discovering the damage 30 minutes after the water damage hits looks a lot different than discovering it three weeks after the water damage hits. The longer you wait to have it removed, the more likely the damage can spread and cause you even more stress and anxiety. That’s why it is so important to call SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea as soon as you see any signs of water damage in your home. As an expert in water damage removal and mold remediation, we know how to get your home back to normal as quickly as possible. 

To help you understand how time sensitive water damage can be, we at SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea have compiled a water damage timeline to show you how water damage can spread and change over time.

The first few minutes:

The scope of the water damage will ultimately determine how much damage is done in the first few minutes. If it is a large flood, furniture and other belongings can start to discolor. Items made out of paper will start to warp or split as well. If it’s a smaller leak, the damage might not be as severe at this point in time, but that doesn’t mean it won’t turn into a bigger leak and problem down the road. Whether it’s a flood or a small leak, it’s important to get SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea out to your home immediately. 

The first hour:

At this point, it doesn’t matter how big or small the source of water is, anything touching it has the potential to be a victim of water damage. Stained or finished furniture can cause permanent staining to the flooring. Books, art or other paper materials will most likely be damaged for good, especially if they’ve been soaking for a full hour. 

The first day:

After a full day of the water damage being left untouched, you might sense a change in smell. Not only will the regular smells of the home start to increase, but you also might notice some sour odors taking over the home’s scent. On top of that, drywall touching the damage will begin to swell and unprotected metal surfaces have the potential to start rusting. 

Recently, we received a call from a homeowner in Santa Ana about a slab leak. She’d had another restoration company come to her home to fix it. But unfortunately, the company didn’t do a very good job because the homeowner had noticed a musty odor as well as some wet carpet in her home. 

To get rid of the damage once and for all, the homeowner went on to Yelp and searched for the best water damage remediation company. When SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea appeared at the top of the list, she decided to give us a call. 

Project Manager, Uriel Valencia, was immediately sent out to the home. After his initial inspection, Uriel found that there was more moisture in the hallway that the other company didn’t detect. Our team of technicians was then sent out to the home to get started on removing the water damage. 

Once they arrived, our technicians set up drying equipment to let the area dry out completely. Fortunately, nothing had to be removed and there were no signs of mold. As soon as everything was dried in place, the home was good to go! 

The homeowner loved how we were able to go in and fix what the previous water damage restoration company could not. She told us that she’d call us in the future if she had any other water damage problems. 

The first week:

Within the first week of ignored water damage, mold and mildew start to become a huge concern. In fact, it can end up attaching to and ruining your furniture. And as time goes by, the mold can grow, spread and eventually become a health hazard to you and your family. People with respiratory or other health issues might begin to feel sick, due to the exposure of mold and mildew. Remediate the mold and water damage with a company that can fix both: SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea. 

Other parts of your home can be damaged during this time frame as well. For example, windows and doors will start to warp and swell, the paint in your home you will begin to blister and if you have hardwood flooring, it might start to buckle.

We recently had a homeowner contact us after his toilet flange started to leak on to the hardwood flooring. As soon as he had noticed it, the homeowner made a call out to his plumber, who was able to fix the toilet leak. However, the plumber recommended that the homeowner call SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea to remove the water damage. 

Within an hour of receiving the call, Project Manager, Jonathan Arcila, was at the home ready to perform an initial inspection. He had noticed that some of the wood flooring had started to buckle, which was an indicator that the damage had been there for a few days. 

The homeowner did not want to go through his insurance company for the project, so we provided him with a great self-pay quote. As soon as we got his approval, our team got to work. 

Because of the buckling, we had to remove a big portion of the flooring. The drywall and baseboards had also been affected, so we removed some pieces of that as well. The last phase of the cleanup process was to set up fans, dehumidifiers and air movers to make sure that all of the moisture was cleaned up. 

Because of our quick response time, we were able to keep the water damage from getting any worse. The homeowner was very happy with our work, giving us all tens on our final survey. We’re glad to have been of service to him! 

The first few weeks:

At this point, the damage done to your home is pretty extensive. In fact, living in this kind of environment can be very dangerous to anyone’s health. 

After a few weeks of ignored water damage, the damage has been done. So it’s vital to get someone out to your home immediately to start the large-scale cleanup process. There’s only one company that can handle any type of water damage project no matter how big or small it is and is also available 24/7 to put your home back together. That company is SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea. 

So no matter the extent to which the damage is done, call SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea today for your mold and water damage remediation needs. We’re happy and ready to help!

The long-term effects of unresolved water damage:

If you continue to do nothing about the water damage in your house, your home will most likely face some negative long-term effects. Those effects include: 

1. Insects: 

A lot of bugs like to live in dark and wet places. That makes your water-damaged walls, floors and every other damaged area in your house the perfect home for them. The most common insect to move in would be a termite. Termites love to eat water-soaked wood, making your home their dream palace. 

2. The structure of your home: 

Long-term water damage can end up ruining the structure and literal foundation of your home, leaving cracks and other extensive damage to the house’s foundation. On top of that, the wood in your house will eventually rot if the water damage is left unresolved. 

3. Continued Health Risks

As mentioned earlier, your health continues to be a major cause for concern if water damage in your home continues to be ignored.  There are three categories of water damage and depending on the category your house is in, you could be putting you and your family’s health at risk by not doing anything to remove the damage. Being exposed to long-term water damage would most likely put you in category three, the most dangerous category. That’s because in this category, the water contains bacteria and fungi that can be extremely hazardous to your health.  

It’s clear to see that the longer you wait to remove the water damage from your home, the more damage will be done to your home. Don’t let the damage spread and ruin your entire house. Instead, call SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea to come out and remediate any and all of your mold and water damage needs!