What can water damage do to a house?
Burst pipes, floods, or leaks can cause serious water damage in your home.
Once water damage has taken place, homeowners should call their insurance company and a mitigation and restoration company to assess the damage and start the repair process.
However, there are several things that a homeowner can do—or refrain from doing—to minimize water damage and limit further deterioration while they wait.
Here are some steps you can take to limit the extent of the damage to your home and your belongings.
Determine what has caused the water damage
There are many reasons for water damage in a home: a blocked sink, a washing machine hose that has become loose or is too brittle, rainwater coming into the house, an overflowing sewage system, or even blocked drains causing flooding in the house.
Your first step depends on the cause of the water damage. Sewage water and gray water are filled with germs and harmful bacteria. Vacate the premises immediately, without lingering or salvaging your belongings! The best thing to do is to call your insurance company, and a reputable mitigation and restoration company to start the reparation process.
Water damage from a washing machine, a water heater, or a blocked sink is safe. Homeowners can take the following initial steps to limit the damage.
Turn off the water main
Once you have determined the source of the water damage, the best thing to do is to turn off the water main valve, to stop more water flooding your home. It’s good to know beforehand where the main water shutoff is located in your house so that you don’t need to look for it in a state of panic.
Turn off power to avoid electric shocks
If possible, turn off the power to avoid electric shocks. Make sure you are not standing in water when you do this. If the whole area is flooded, it’s best to leave this to an electrician to avoid danger to yourself.
Do not plug or unplug appliances
socket and wire in fire and smoke, fire
Sometimes, our first instinct is to start water mitigation on our own. However, water damage is usually extensive and requires professional care. You cannot be certain about the extent of the damage in your internal electrical system.
Do not try to fix things by plugging any tools, pumps, or your vacuum cleaner to remove water. A vacuum cleaner will probably not be adequate to suck that much water and you could end up making things much worse by causing a short circuit or even a fire.
Similarly, do not unplug any appliance and do not use electric appliances before an electrician has checked and confirmed that your electricity grid is safe.
How do you control water leaks?
If you have a leak that can be temporarily constrained, put a bucket under the leak until the restoration company arrives at your home. If the leak is damaging pieces of light furniture that can be safely moved, move them to limit the damage.
You can also move any fragile and water-sensitive items out of the reach of water, for example by placing them onto shelves. Always make sure you are safe and do not risk falling or slipping.
Can you live in a house with water damage?
With the panic and stress we often feel during a calamity, we may misjudge a situation and make hasty decisions. Do not throw out any carpets, furniture, or belongings that you think are beyond repair.
Reputable and professional mitigation and restoration companies have specialized equipment and tools to save your home and belongings.
As a professional and experienced restoration company, we aim at salvaging and bringing back to life as many items as we can during our work. Many homeowners are amazed at how much of their precious belonging we have saved, cleaned, and repaired. Our cleaning equipment and specialized tools are much more powerful than common household appliances.
Trust us to bring your home and its contents back to their previous state!
Choose a professional mitigation and restoration company
Water damage can be dangerous to the structural integrity of a house. It is also a traumatic experience for homeowners. Hiring a restoration company is the best step to take to secure your home and save your belongings.