Wayne Terry
Photo courtesy of PuroClean
By Wayne R. Terry
Water has many wonderful purposes and benefits, such as for drinking, cleaning, swimming, boating and in general the majestic beauty that a lake or ocean brings us. Yet as we know, water can also bring us disastrous hurricanes and flooding.
When unwanted water comes into our homes due to these disasters, it is not something that should be ignored or pushed off for another time. The sooner you get attention, the less damage there will be, and in most cases the lower the restoration bill will be.
Here are a few things to keep in mind if such a disaster occurs:
- When a pipe bursts in your home, this is considered a “water loss,” and in most cases the cleanup is covered by your insurance policy.
- A flood in your home is caused by rising water on the outside of the structure. In most cases, this is NOT covered by your insurance policy, unless you have specific flood insurance.
- If water loss comes from a clean water source, such as a sink or supply line and is attended to quickly, a professional restoration company can save everything in most cases by extracting the water and drying out the home. Time can make a big difference. If water sits for a significant period of time, the materials can become more saturated, and the risk of mold forming on the items can increase, which will require remediation work to be done.
- Restoration companies assign category numbers to these situations. A “Category 1 Loss” indicates that the situation involves a clean water source that has been sitting for less than 48 hours. A “Category 2 Loss” indicates that the water has been sitting between 48 and 72 hours. In this case, the carpet padding is considered contaminated and is removed; however, the carpet can generally be saved. With a “Category 3 Loss,” all porous and semi-porous surfaces are considered contaminated and must be removed. The exception would include structural items such as wood studs, which would be handled differently.
- In short, if water sits for a long period of time with no attention, more items will be considered contaminated and will have to be removed and replaced. If the response is immediate, more items can be saved, resulting in less replacement and less cost.
- A professional restoration company regularly completes the above work, knows what needs to be done and works with all insurance carriers to have the claim settled so you are back in your home in the shortest amount of time possible.
Wayne Terry is the owner of PuroClean in Jacksonville. For more information about his restoration company, visit http://purocleanofjax.com/ or call 904-573-3566.
