Heroes On Call 24/7 Water Damage Drying Service

Water Damage Services | What To Expect

So you have experienced a water damage, now what? Well, you made a great decision contacting your water damage "Heroes On Call" and you can rest assured you found the right company to handle your water damage emergency. A quick response is necessary to prevent water damage from creating a worse situation and our crews jump into action when called. Furthermore, at Western Carpet Care, we know this can be a very challenging experience and it is our goal to make this as painless as possible. We also strive to inspire your confidence and cultivate reassurance through this process. We believe an informed client is a reassured client so we have provided the following information as to what you can expect during the process. In order to restore your home or business, you can expect the following procedures to occur. If you still have questions or would like to learn more about our deductible assistance, please call our courteous staff at 1-800-440-6080 to help you navigate through this difficulty.

Investigate Extent of Damage | Thermal Imaging, Moisture Detecting, and Hygrometers

Clients who have experienced water damage often believe their water damage is much smaller than it actually is based on what can be easily seen and felt. Unfortunately, most clients are unaware that invasive water utilizes stealthy methods by taking the path of least resistance, traveling surreptitiously within wall cavities, accumulating quietly in cabinets, and spreading unnoticed under carpet cushion. So how do your water damage Heroes On Call get to the truth of the matter? They wield their trusty thermal imagers, moisture detectors, and hygrometers.

Thermal imagers provide temperature maps. Cool spots, represented by the color blue, indicate the presence of moisture.
Moisture detectors confirm those cool spots revealed by the thermal imager to indeed be moisture laden areas.
Hygrometers measure the moisture content in the atmospehere.

Clients are often surprised at the extent of damage once the thermal imagers and moisture detectors reveal the areas hiding and accumulating moisture while the hygrometer reveals the humidity levels.

Determine Age of Home | Asbestos & Lead Concerns

Over many decades of residential and commercial construction, lead and asbestos were frequently used in building materials. If the age of the structure is found to be built during an era known to utilize these materials, environmental testing is conducted on materials including: paint, dry wall, patching compunds, joint tape, insulation, and vinyl subfloor tiles. This testing is performed by a third party environmental testing company for the purpose of eliminating conflict of interest and protecting the indoor air quality during the dry out phase of water damage. If the results are positive for hazardous materials, an environmental abatement company is contacted to remove the contaminants.

Eventhough the EPA introduced regulations regarding the use of these materials to reduce indoor air polltutants during the 1970's, these materials are nonetheless found in homes built after this time due to an inventory surplus among building suppliers and have been frequently found in homes constructed even into the mid 1980's; therefore, testing is often performed even on structures built after the regulations were implemented.

Asbestos was a popular material from 1930 up to 1977. Used in insulation, textured paint, patching compounds, joint tape, vinyl tiles, and the backing on sheet vinyl.
Lead was used in paint and was banned from use in 1978. However, the tendency is to paint over existing paint and it is likely lead paint will be found at the base layer on the wall or ceiling. Lead can also be found in terra cotta and ceramic tiles.

Classify Water Damage by Category

Water damage is classifed into one of three categories according to the IICRC:

Category 1: Considered "Clean" or "Sanitary" water typically caused by potable water sources including pipe breaks, sink or tub overflows, supply line or water heater breaks, and toilet tank (not the toilet bowl) overflows .
Category 2: Considered "Contaminated Water" a.k.a. "Grey Water" which would cause discomfort or illness upon consumption. The source of this water damage category includes dishwasher or washing machine overflows, toilet tank overflows with none or some urine, but no feces, and dishwater back up from sink drains.

Category 3: Considered "Grossly Unsanitary" water a.k.a. "Black Water". Sources of this water damage category include sewer backup, flooding from rivers or streams, toilet overflow with feces, and stagnant liquid that has begun to support bacterial growth.

Though a water damage source may have started as lesser category, it can fall into worse category according to extraneous conditions within the premises. Ultimately, the category on any loss will determine the course of action to take for restoration as well as which materials can be salvaged.

Water Extraction

Water Extraction is among the first physical actions to be taken. WCC utilizes industrial strength truck mounted water extraction equipment and, when necessary, submersible pumps to remove as much water from the premises as possible. This step will expedite the drying process and decrease water weight in flooring materials requiring removal. While water extraction is necessary and helpful , extraction is only a preliminary step in the drying process and further action must be taken.

Remove Damaged Materials

Baseboard, dry wall, flooring, ceilings, and cabinets are often water damage casualties. WCC technicians will remove and dispose of saturated materials that are unsalvageable. While it is unpleasant to have your home turned upside down, saturated materials pose many indoor environmental hazards, substandard performance integrity, and diminished appearance. Also, as mentioned earlier, the category of loss will also determine the salvageability of materials, but the following can happen with any category of water damage.

Saturated flooring creates environmental, performance, and appearance issues caused by water damage. Once flooring is saturated, the damage is usually irreversible causing adhesives to dissolve, finishes to fade or become cloudy, and odors to arise. Water damaged flooring voids any warranty you may have left and often creates an environment for mold and bacteria to thrive. In most cases, flooring should be replaced.

Dry wall can cave in and ceilings can collapse due to water damage and don't forget the distinguishable yellow-brown water rings associated with water damage.

Cabinets and baseboard can swell, crack, and create a perfect environment for mold to grow on the wall at the installation site. If a cabinet is in salvageable condition, but requires dislodging from the wall in order to access a wet wall, every effort is made to gently dislodge the cabinet to retain for future use.

While water damages share many similar problems, each individual water damage is evaluated and restored on a job to job basis. Every effort will be made to salvage materials when possible.

Set Up Drying Equipment

Industrial strength drying equipment is critical in the drying phase of water damage restoration. In fact, without this equipment, a water damage could take well over a week or two to dry on its own and by that time mold and mildew will have had ample time to develop. This drying equipment will expedite the process and, when a water damage is discovered early enough, is the final step in preventing toxic mold spores from developing. The following represents the variety of drying equipment involved in the process:

Air Movers: When strategically placed, these machines create a vortex in order to move the moisture out of structural materials and into the air.

Dehumidifiers: Captures and removes the moisture the air movers forced into circulation.

Injector Dry: When dry wall doesn't need removing, but a wall cavity still requires drying, an injector dry machine is the equipment of choice. Baseboard is removed and little holes are tapped into the wall along the the area where the baseboards cover . The injector dry is an air mover with attached tubes extending from and injected into the wall to deliver warm dry air to the wall cavity.

Air Scrubber for the Elderly, At Risk, and Asthma Patients

On occasion, some clients require an air scrubber due to exisitng or potential respiratory contraindications associated with age, asthma, or other breathing ailments such as COPD and emphysema. Furthermore, "At Risk" clients are those who would be vulnerable due to a compromised immune system. An air scrubber uses HEPA filters and captures potential allergens or particles that could irritate airways.

Those Who Benefit: