Whether discovering a flooded basement or soggy crawlspace, no homeowner likes finding water damage in their home. Some homeowners attempt to handle a water emergency themselves, but the best option for safe, effective water removal services is hiring an expert water restoration team. A waterlogged home offers many dangers that homeowners may not consider.
Utility Dangers
Water remains one of the strongest natural conductors of electricity, making a flooded room extremely dangerous. Electrical wires or components submerged in water can electrocute household residents or spark a fire in other parts of the electrical harness. House fires due to waterlogged electrical wiring often spread quickly, burning up an entire home and everything inside.
To keep a house safe if a basement or crawl space floods, homeowners can turn off the electricity at the main switch. They should also turn off water lines to prevent accidental plumbing contamination and gas lines in case the water has damaged the pipes.
Contaminated Water
Floods can result from extreme weather events or broken plumbing, both of which can fill a home with bacteria-laden water. While broken wastewater pipes dump the contents of toilets, sinks, and appliances into a home, floodwaters raise the water level of sewers and pick up water from unsanitary sources. Some bacteria invading a home can stick around and proliferate, easily moving into other parts of a home and making it easier for families to fall ill.
Some types of illnesses or diseases originating from contaminated flood water or standing water include:
- E. Coli
- Tetanus
- Strep Throat
- Golden Staph
- Necrotizing Fasciitis
- Respiratory Infections
Structural Damage
The main worry of water restoration services consists of how floodwaters may affect a home’s structural integrity. Excessive water and moisture can soak into drywall or insulation, wear away at the home’s foundation, or destroy a house’s framework. Even after the water drying out, the damage already done might cause wood components to dry rot, bow, or otherwise wear away, making a home unstable.
Mold Growth
While usually harmless, mold spores floating unseen in the air can quickly take root in a warm, moist environment such as the type created during a house’s flooding. Many homeowners won’t see immediate signs of new mold growth until late in the fungi’s development, by which time the mold may have spread to other parts of a home.
Mold endangers the health of everyone in a home, causing various health problems, including:
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Itchy eyes
- Stuffy nose
- Skin rashes
- Sore, irritated throat
- Worsened asthma symptoms
Expensive Repairs
Attending only surface-level water damage leaves deeper problems to worsen over time. Homeowners using DIY water restoration methods instead of professional water removal services allow water to cause rotting, mold growth, and other problems deep inside the home’s structure. These problems often come to light when walls, floors, or ceilings bubble, bow, or otherwise show signs of structural damage.
By the time homeowners discover the in-depth damage from a flood, the repairs have spread so badly that only expensive repairs can put a home right again.
What Can a Homeowner Do After a Flood?
Now knowing the consequences of not dealing with water damage immediately, many homeowners wonder what steps to take to ensure the best care for their homes. Homeowners can follow these steps should they experience a flood in their home:
1. Turn Off the Utilities
Before calling for water damage restoration services, homeowners should turn off their water, electricity, and gas to provide a safer working space for the water damage specialists.
2. Pick Up Personal Items
If a homeowner has items such as furniture, electronics, documents, and other belongings in the flooded space, they should clear out as much as possible to save them from water damage. This also helps free up more space for water damage restorers to work.
3. Call a Professional
After ensuring a safer working space overall, homeowners can call for water damage restoration. Professional restoration specialists will discuss the situation with the homeowner, then come out to take in the full scope of the damage and give a quote.
4. Follow-Up Care
Once the water restoration team leaves, the homeowner will receive information on when to call the team back should anything happen. Water can hide deep within floors and walls, making it important that homeowners remain vigilant for reappearing water.
Work with an Experienced Water Restoration Team in Spanish Fork, UT
When faced with severe water damage, homeowners in Spanish Fork, UT, need a reliable company providing water removal services. The water damage contractors at Prime Restoration offer comprehensive water restoration services with a 24/7 service number for those after-hours emergencies. When homeowners need professional water restoration, they can call the professionals at Prime Restoration in Spanish Fork, UT, at (801) 509-6899 or submit an online form.
