One of the most traumatic things you can experience as a homeowner is extreme damage to your home from an event such as flooding. Your home is likely the biggest purchase you’ve ever made, and it contains most, if not all, of your property. Besides the immediate damage to your home and personal belongings, flooding in a residence can also expose you and your home to environmental hazards like mold, so you want to be sure you’re handling the cleanup thoroughly and correctly.
Below, we discuss how to address issues in your home if you’ve experienced a leak or flood, and what to do so your insurance claim and cleanup are handled effectively.
Act Quickly
When you discover a leak in your home, the most important thing is that you act quickly. Leaks can occur because of broken or corroded pipes, appliance issues or defective construction related issues, and if you choose to ignore them, your home could experience flooding or major damage.
If you are dealing with flood or water damage in your home due to a plumbing issue, immediately turn off the emergency main water shutoff to prevent further damage as long as it’s safe to enter your home, then contact someone for restoration help.
Document the Damage
Don’t start cleaning up your soaked belongings immediately after discovering the water damage. If it’s safe, take photos and make note of all items and details of the flooding for the insurance company. The more thorough you can be, the more likely your insurance claim will be accepted. Going through a professional mitigation company will increase your chances as well, because they have experience documenting this type of situation.
Pay attention to walls and floors—if you see damage, this is an indicator of structural damage, and you shouldn’t enter your home. These areas are at risk of collapse, and you want to stay safe.
File an Insurance Claim
Once you’ve documented all of the damage, it’s time to report the flood and damages to your home insurance company. If the flood was caused by a natural disaster, and you have flood insurance, you’ll get the financial help you need from your insurance company. Any flooding caused by a broken pipe, sewer backup or appliances should be covered as well.
Your insurance company will rely on the photos and the descriptions you documented in the step above to determine replacement, so be as thorough as you can.
Get Professional Cleanup Help
The cleanup in your home should happen immediately. Waiting can cause mold and mildew growth in your home, which will require professional services to clean up the mess correctly. When you contact the professionals at 1st American Heating and Air, we can help you identify where the leak began and have our professional partners handle all of the cleanup. This includes:
- Removing Personal Belongings
- Your damaged personal items need to be removed and safely stored until your home repair process is complete. If they are salvageable, your belongings will be stored at a secure facility and reset after the mitigation and reconstruction process has been completed.
- InfraRed Review
- We use Forward Looking InfraRed equipment to see temperature fluctuations behind drywall to identify additional leaks so we can repair any issues that are unseen.
- Extract Moisture
- Your home will be cleaned with commercial grade dehumidifiers, to ensure the moisture is extracted from affected areas.
- Safely Clean the Space
- Commercial Grade HEPA Air Scrubbers are used to remove dangerous airborne particles such as mildew and mold spores.
- Air Quality Testing
- Thorough Air Quality Testing will verify that the property is “safe” to return to even before the restoration process is complete.
- Antimicrobial Treatment
- An antimicrobial treatment is applied to the space to prevent dangerous microbial growth on structural items that weren’t removed during demo.
No matter what the reason is for your home experiencing flooding, it’s never easy to go through. But working with professionals can definitely make the process easier. If you’ve experienced flooding in your home due to a plumbing issue, 1st American Plumbing, Heating and Air can help. Contact them today by calling (801) 477-5818.
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