Signs of Water Damage & When to Hire a Professional

If your home or business is flooded, you have 48 – 72 hours before black mold growth begins. The smartest thing you can do with your time and money is to hire a professional for water extraction services. This blog will show signs of water damage, why water damage is dangerous, and when to hire a professional with the correct equipment.

Signs of Water Damage

Other than an obvious flood of water in your home or business, usually the first sign of water damage is a change in the surface of the areas that got wet.  Examples of signs of water damage include:

• laminate floors peeling or wooden floors warping or starting to discolor
• paint on the walls towards the floor beginning to bubble and peel
• bases of cabinets beginning to warp
• a musty and damp odor in the carpet

Why should you hire a professional water extraction company?

The reasons we highly encourage you to call a professional immediately when water damage is identified are to save the homeowner money and prevent additional problems in the following ways:

1. Mold Removal – Since black mold begins to grow quickly, don’t take chances by trying to remove the water with DIY techniques, because once a professional is finally involved then most likely you already have black mold which is an additional cost to remove.
2. Extended Damage – Trying to remove the water yourself instead of calling a professional immediately will most likely result in additional issues to fix and/or secondary water damage to other areas of your home.
3. Insurance Coverage – Most home insurance companies will not cover an insurance claim unless a professional is involved immediately, so don’t take the chance by trying DIY techniques first.

In these situations, our job as a water extraction company is to:

• remove all of the moisture from your home so mold doesn’t grow
• be as cost-effective as possible so there are no issues with your insurance claim
• work with your insurance agent to settle the claim quickly

In other words, if you try the water removal process on your own then you will most likely experience the 3 issues described above. Call a professional water extraction company to save you time and money!

The Professional Difference

If you still aren’t convinced that calling a professional for water extraction is the best way to save time and money, then let us give you even more information about the skills and equipment required to successfully remove moisture before it causes further damage. Believe us when we say that Google searches, DIY YouTube videos, and equipment rentals from the hardware store still will not get the job done thoroughly, and here’s why:

1. Find all the moisture. Where has the water traveled – up or behind the walls, under your home, into other rooms, or into your subfloor? Unfortunately, you aren’t going to be able to track down all of the moisture problems, which means you won’t be able to dry out the areas you don’t even know are wet. Most homeowners think they can feel or see the problems, but professionals can’t even do that and we deal with water damage on a daily basis. Professionals rely on technology such as various moisture detection systems so we can find moisture no matter where it might be hiding.
   

   Professional equipment detects water damage in your home that can’t be seen.

2. Dry quickly without over-drying. There are 2 actions that are very important and require specific equipment to accomplish.
   1. Dry Quickly – You’ve got about 48 hours to 72 hours before black mold growth occurs. The only way to stop it from growing is to remove the moisture it needs. We use the most advanced drying systems and techniques in the industry and it allows us to move at a speed that you cannot reach with DIY rented equipment.
   2. Prevent Over-drying – Every surface in your home has some level of moisture in it, and every surface has a specific dry standard. In other words, the goal is to get each surface back to the same moisture readings it had before it got wet. If you dry too much you can ruin the surface, requiring costly removal and repair.
3. Trap and remove evaporated moisture. Simply opening windows to move air around or putting fans next to a wet area will not dry it out fast enough, encouraging mold bloom. It’s not uncommon for homeowners that go the DIY route to also experience secondary water damage. This happens when the water is evaporated but instead of being trapped by a dehumidifier it is allowed to be released into the air and travel to another area of the home. Once it touches that surface it will cause secondary water damage.

As you can see, water extraction is not one of those things that can be done successfully without the proper equipment and knowledge, so don’t go the DIY route and end up paying more in the long run! The safest and most affordable choice is to call a professional water damage company. If you live in Lawton, Oklahoma or surrounding areas of Comanche County then please give A-Team Carpet Clean a call 24/7 for water damage emergencies!