Month: November 2016

When a basement floods, even the most experienced DIY homeowners in the Denver area should weigh the many cons that come with taking on the job yourself. Here, our water disaster experts at Project X Restoration in Denver provide a bit of advice on what to do if your basement floods.

First and foremost, do not to enter the flooded area until a qualified professional tells you it is safe.

Your first concern needs to be the health and safety of you and your family. A flooded basement is extremely dangerous. These are just some of the hazards of flooded basements:

• Electrical Shock

A wet basement creates a real danger of electrical shock. Don’t turn on the lights or touch the electrical plugs. Be careful, but if it’s safe, turn off the electrical power at the main breaker box.

• Pollutants

A flooded basement may have raw sewage that may contain bacteria bringing sickness and diseases. Wear protective items including gloves, safety glasses, a face mask and be sure to wash thoroughly after any contact with sewage or items touched by sewage.

• Gas leaks

This should be a no-brainer when it comes to what to do if your basement floods. If you smell gas, get everyone out of the house right away. When you are safe, contact your utility company. They may even have an emergency line for this purpose.

• Chemicals

Even during the cleaning up phase, there are many contaminants in the water both from the flood water and from the harsh cleaning mixtures. Don’t go in the water unless you have to.

• Structural Damage

Some floods even weaken structural elements such as the walls and ceilings. If there are any signs of compromise, leave the area immediately.

• Sewage Backup

If a sewage backup caused the flooding or you are not sure yet, don’t run the washing machine or dishwasher, and don’t flush the toilet because it might make the flooding worse. 

What to Do if Your Basement Floods

If a burst water supply pipe caused the flooding, shut off the main incoming water valve to help reduce damage. Flood water from a pipe will be clean and usually comes from an upper level of the house. You should always know where your house water shut-off is located and keep clear, safe access to it.

Once you and your family are safe, your next step is to make two phone calls. One to your insurance company and one to Project X to mitigate damage right away. For any water or flood emergency, we’re here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And we can even be on site anywhere in the Denver metro area in an hour or less and get to work right away. We’ll stop the water damage before it spreads and get your home or business back to its pre-loss condition.It’s important to know what to do if your basement floods. Our water disaster experts at Project X Restoration in Denver can help keep you and your family safe and begin to mitigate the flood damage.

When you experience water damage, there’s no time to waste. That’s why Project X Restoration in Denver is available for any water or flood emergency 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our goals are to stop the water damage before it spreads and get your home or business back to its original condition with our water extraction services.

Shut Down the Source

The first step is to find the water source and shut it down. Next is an assessment of the entire situation, including all damages and safety issues like asbestos. At Project X, we develop a customized restoration plan and provide a free, detailed estimate. 

Health Issues

Standing water from flooding or a burst pipe can cause health problems, and sometimes in severe cases, even death. That’s why it’s best to allow the experts to retrieve and salvage your possessions. It may be possible to restore damaged papers, books and photographs if you get them soon enough. We can also salvage and recycle materials, or dispose of them properly.

Remove Standing Water

Clean-up starts with water extraction services. This typically utilizes safety gear for all technicians and specialized equipment such as submersible pumps, truck-mounted vacuums, and other apparatus as necessary. Extracting the majority of standing water from an affected area will help stop water damage from spreading and mold from growing.

At Project X, we also use infrared cameras to assess saturation and find any water that may have gotten behind your walls or in the ceiling. With the extraction complete, we’ll decide whether it’s necessary to remove your carpet and carpet pad to keep the integrity of your subfloor.

Drying

Once the water  is removed, it’s time to completely dry your floors, walls, and other items. This is a crucial step in water extraction services, especially if you want to avoid warping, swelling, mold, and other ongoing issues that will undermine restoration efforts.

Using industrial-strength fans and dehumidifiers, the process reduces the humidity and dries out your carpet, furniture, drywall, wood, and other materials. And highly specialized instruments will be used to assess moisture levels in the floors, walls, and other areas until they reach a proper level.

Dehumidification enables you to salvage and repurpose as much of the original materials as possible. This reduces your costs while restoring the interior of your home to its pre-flood condition.

Cleaning

Once everything is dried out, returning your home or business back to normal will take a lot of cleaning. At Project X, this is one of our specialties. We provide the necessary cleaning techniques, equipment and tools needed to restore as many items as possible.

Odors

Finally, a portable filtration system (air scrubber) can be used to remove any offensive odors that may linger after water extraction services. We sanitize and disinfect using industrial-grade cleaning agents, as well as discard any damaged items with your approval and according to insurance guidelines.

Standing water can be devastating. It can cause damage and disease that only gets worse the longer you wait. So, call Project X Restoration in Denver 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Our professionals can be on-site anywhere in the Denver metro area in an hour or less. And our water extraction services can get your home or business back to its original condition. Give us a call, we’re here to help.