Water extraction in Austin. What you need to know.

2/24/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Southwest Austin

When your home has suffered from water damage, it can be a stressful and tense experience. If the damage is severe, you will need to hire professionals to repair and restore your home or business.

That’s where we come in, SERVPRO of Southwest Austin with years of experience to help support you. Understanding what to expect from a water damage restoration company can help make the process less overwhelming.

There is no such thing as a small disaster, especially with intrusion of water you can’t see. It can contain bacteria, mold, rot, mold growing, or other unseen damage.

Every water damage restoration project is different. The building (or structure) provides variables that may change with every project, such as the electrical system, type of building materials, or hazardous materials in the building.

The water loss itself provides variables, such as the sanitation of the water, hazardous substances in the water, length of time the water has been in the structure, presence of mold contamination, and mold growth. Take time to identify and resolve safety hazards before proceeding with the project.

Water damage can also affect the value of your property. Before you get out the mop bucket and clean the affected areas yourself, consider how the damage can potentially affect the long-term structure of your home or business.

Our team knows how disruptive water damage can be for your business and are trained to manage the drying process from start to finish at a pre loss condition.

With rapid response time and a full line of water cleanup and restoration services, we can help you regain control quickly, by helping to ensure your facility and its contents are properly dried, deodorized and protected.

When we respond to a call for water damage repair, we have one primary goal: To dry wet building materials and contents items. As restoration professionals, we remove water and moisture from a wet building and return the building to what it was before the loss—before the water intrusion occurred.

Goals of Restorative Drying:

1. Return excessively wet materials to their normal (equilibrium) moisture levels.
2. Reduce the time that materials are excessively wet.
3. Determine the most cost-efficient procedures for drying.

To accomplish these goals, our team controls the airflow, humidity, and temperature to promote drying.

Moisture moves by four mechanical processes.

Liquid flow, air movement, capillary suction, and vapor diffusion.

1. Liquid flow. We most often observe moisture movement as water flows in liquid form. Liquid flow occurs as rainwater leaks through a roof, ground water soaks through a foundation, or water pours from a broken water pipe.
2. Air movement. Moisture in the air is carried by moving air. Air moves from high air pressure areas to low air pressure areas and brings moisture with it.

Moisture moves by airflow through cracks and small openings in a building’s envelope or as air pressure moves moist air through a chimney. Moisture and air moving from outside a building to the inside is called infiltration; moisture and air moving from inside to the outside is called exfiltration.

3. Capillary suction. Liquid moisture can move through a narrow pathway due to contact between the moisture and the surface of the path. Capillary suction allows liquid moisture to move through the pores of porous materials.
4. Vapor diffusion. Water vapor moves as a gas through materials. Water vapor moves from areas of high vapor pressure to areas of low vapor pressure.

Whether moisture moves through a material by vapor diffusion depends on whether differences in vapor pressure exist across the material. How fast moisture moves by vapor diffusion depends on how permeable the material is.

Before you risk any further damage and potentially the long term value of your property, call us as your local water damage, flood damage, fire damage, smoke damage, and cleaning services professional at SERVPRO of Southwest Austin.

How to prepare for a storm or flood type event close to your home.

2/24/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Southwest Austin

• Prepare a few emergency kits
• Prepare a household flood plan
• Keep a list of emergency telephone numbers
• Check your insurance policy to see if you are covered for flood damage

If flooding is predicted, make your safety a priority and if you have time try to prepare your property:

• Secure hazardous items
• Roll up rugs, move furniture, electrical items and valuables to a higher level
• Place important personal documents, valuables and vital medical supplies into a waterproof case in an accessible location
• If you are relocating, take your pets with you if it is safe to do so. If not provide adequate food and water and move them to a safer place

If rising waters threaten your home and you decide to move to a safer location, tell the police, your nearest State Emergency Service (SES) unit or your neighbors of your plans to move.

Relocating to safer ground:

• Monitor your local radio for warnings and advice
• Pack warm clothing, essential medication, valuables and personal papers in waterproof bags along with your emergency kits.
• Raise furniture, clothing and valuables onto beds, tables and into roof space place
• Empty freezers and refrigerators, leaving doors open to avoid damage or loss if they float.
• Turn off power, water and gas and take your mobile phone
• Whether you leave or stay, put sandbags in the toilet bowl and over all laundry/bathroom drain holes to prevent sewage backflow
• Lock your home and take recommended relocation routes for your area
• Do not drive into water of unknown depth and current

Too late to leave?

• Monitor your local radio for warnings
• Get to higher ground
• Switch off electricity and gas supplies to your home
• Prepare to move vehicles, outdoor equipment, garbage, chemical and poisons to higher locations
• Prepare for the wellbeing of pets
• Raise furniture above likely flood levels
• Check your emergency kits
• Do not allow children to play in or near floodwaters
• Avoid entering floodwaters,. if you must do so, wear solid shoes and check depth and current with a stick
• Stay away from drains, culverts and water over knee deep.
• Do not use gas or electrical appliances that have been in floodwater until checked for safety
• Do not eat food that has been in floodwaters

If you need help putting any of this together or still have questions about how to prepare for a storm or flood, call us at SERVPRO of Southwest Austin for additional help.

Flooding and Safety Tips

4/29/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Southwest Austin is here for your water restoration needs.

Flooding and water emergencies will not wait for regular business hours and neither do we. Here at SERVPRO of Southwest Austin, we provide emergency cleaning and restoration services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—including all holidays.

Faster To Any Size Disaster

Flooding and water damage is very invasive. Water quickly spreads throughout your home and gets absorbed into floors, walls, furniture, and more. We arrive quickly and start the water extraction  process almost immediately. This immediate response helps to minimize the damage, as well as the cleaning and restoration costs.

Water Damage Timeline

Within Minutes:

Water will move quickly, spreading throughout your property, saturating everything in its path.

Water is absorbed into walls, floors, upholstery, and belongings.

Furniture finishes may bleed, causing permanent staining on carpets.

Photographs, books, and other paper goods start to swell and warp.

Hours 1 - 24:

Drywall begins to swell and break down.

Metal surfaces begin to tarnish.

Furniture begins to swell and crack.

Dyes and inks from cloth and paper goods spread and stain.

A musty odor appears.

48 Hours to 1 Week:

Mold and mildew may grow and spread.

Doors, windows, and studs swell and warp.

Metal begins to rust and corrode.

Furniture warps and shows signs of mold.

Paint begins to blister.

Wood flooring swells and warps.

Serious biohazard contamination is possible.

More Than 1 Week:

Restoration time and cost increase dramatically; replacing contaminated materials and structural rebuilding may be extensive.

Structural safety, mold growth, and biohazard contaminants pose serious risks to occupants.

We specialize in the cleanup and restoration of residential and commercial property after a fire, smoke or water damage event. Our staff is highly trained in property damage restoration. From initial and ongoing training at SERVPRO’s corporate training facility to regular IICRC-industry certification, rest assured our staff is equipped with the knowledge to restore your property.

Call us today at SERVPRO of Southwest Austin for more information.

Water Intrusion, Move Quickly!

3/29/2021 (Permalink)

Call us at SERVPRO of Southwest Austin for additional information 512-796-9077

As a leader in the cleaning and restoration industry, we strive to meet or exceed the expectations of every customer, client, and business that is involved with water damaged property. Every property, every project, every customer deserves excellence.

Water intrusion in a home or business is always a traumatic event. Effectively restoring a water-damaged property is such a valuable service to any homeowner or business owner. This type of disruption creates stress and uncertainty for many individuals and can be very costly.

This is when you call us at SERVPRO of Southwest Austin to provide guidance and assistance to ensure the best decisions are made through these difficult times.

Excessive water and moisture in any indoor environment can pose health risks for occupants and if it is not resolved properly. Water intrusion can cause severe damages to both your structure and contents.

Properly mitigating, drying, and restoring a water-damaged structure requires training, expertise, and specialized equipment. With hands-on experience and coaching in the field, we are the best in the industry.

The goal of emergency actions is to protect your structure and contents from further damage, establish a safe environment, extract water, demo unrestorable materials, and create the conditions for drying the structure and contents effectively. This typically involves calculating and positioning air movers and dehumidifiers within the affected area.

Once the equipment is placed, we monitor the drying process and make sure it is working properly. Monitoring services continue until the structure and contents are dry as we evaluate, update monitoring logs, and make adjustments as needed.

Call us at SERVPRO of Southwest Austin, “Like it never even happened.”