10 Water Damage Restoration Tips After A Fire
House fires, forest fires, or even a faulty electrical circuit – they can all lead to devastating consequences. A house fire can also lead to cause water damage as well. After fire suppression, you will be dealing with fire damage and also water damage. So, here are some water damage restoration tips on how to tackle this problem head-on.
Dealing With Water Damage After Fire Suppression
It Should Be Safe First
Safety is key. If you know that there’s been a fire, whether it’s in your house or a part of your house, you want to make sure that it is safe to go in first. You don’t want it to be smoky and dark inside. Let everything air out before you even go inside. You never know – there might be flames that can still be dangerous, so you want to wait until everything is clear for you and then you can start the rest of the process of restoring your house.
There have been too many times when people don’t even wait for the house to be completely cleared of the fire hazard before they go in and one small mistake can ruin everything. So, make sure that you don’t do that and only go into the house when it’s safe.
Keep Track Of The Damage
Keeping things on the top of your head is not going to help you. So, this is why you need to keep track of all of the water damage as a list on your phone or even on a piece of paper. This is going to be so much easier for you to keep track of things and you won’t forget about anything.
This is why keeping a log or list of sorts is crucial because this is going to be a piece of cake to list down when you go ahead and restore things step by step.
Find The Source
Usually, when there’s a fire, water damage isn’t far away. Fire suppression efforts themselves cause water damage, however, a fire can also burst the water pipes, leading to leaks and just an overall wet mess of things in your house. This is why you want to focus all of your attention on the source. Where the water is coming from.
You don’t want to start the restoration part of the process until this source is dealt with. This will make the rest of the process so much easier and less tedious. So, always find the culprit first and then everything else will follow suit.
Check In With Your Insurance Company
Speaking of damages, a lot of things can be covered by your insurance company, but you can’t be too sure until you call them. When you give them a call and tell them about the fire, you want to make note of things that are covered by the insurance and what isn’t.
The next step is to get the process started and for every company, it’s going to be different. So, your best bet is to consult your insurance company and get the information you need to get things started. This is something you can do right after the fire.
Salvage Things That Can Be Saved
Water damage isn’t just any type of damage. It can ruin a lot of things in your house like furniture, expensive rugs, documents, and things like that. So, you want to be fast when you want to save things that can be saved. This is important because you don’t want everything to be at the mercy of the water.
You want to act quickly and save the stuff that hasn’t fallen victim to fire damage or water damage and do what you can to salvage things. This is going to save you from more trouble in the long run. If you can, try to be safe beforehand and keep all of your valuables at high and safe places where nothing – not even fire or water – can reach.
Prevent Further Damage
Now that you know that there’s a fire, the next thing you want to do is get to work on removing the water from your house. There can be water all over the floors and even in rooms, so you want to start by getting rid of it all, either with large buckets or even a water pump.
This is important because you don’t want things to sit and marinate in the water. You want to remove it as quickly as you can so that you can start the restoration process.
Call Water Damage Restoration Services
Sometimes, you just can’t remove all of the water by yourself. So, if you know that fire has led to tremendous water damage, then you need to call in water damage restoration services. They are professionals with experience in these kinds of situations, so they know what to do before things turn south.
They also have mechanized equipment that can be used to remove gallons of water within seconds. So, when you’re in doubt, always call water restoration services, because they can save your house from becoming a mold dump.
Let The Space Dry
This kind of goes without saying, but after removing most of the water, you want to start the drying process immediately too. This is important because even if there’s a little bit of water anywhere in the house, it can lead to mold and you don’t want that.
It is crucial to do, so break out those large fans and if you can get your hands on an industrial dehumidifier, then get that too, because it is going to work like a charm. This is a step that you don’t want to skip, especially after getting rid of all of that water.
Disinfect
You might be thinking that disinfecting surfaces is not really that important, but once you figure out how much contaminants and bacteria water can hold, you won’t ditch this idea that easily. Disinfection is also important when you have used fire extinguishers on the fire because that foam can also carry a lot of unwanted stuff with it.
Also, disinfection will prevent mold from spreading like crazy, so you’re honestly getting a lot of things done with just one round of disinfection. You can either use bleach or chlorine-based disinfectants. Just make sure that you use the products as per instructions and you’ll be good to go.
Look Out For Mold
With water damage, even if it’s after a fire, mold won’t be far away. Where there’s water, there will be mold and you have to do something about it before it spreads into every corner of the house.
This is why you need to inspect places for mold and you also want to call mold removal services just in case. Mold doesn’t have to show itself to be present. Sometimes, it can remain hidden and then unleash its wrath.
Conclusion
Water damage after fire is really common and even if it’s not sudden or doesn’t show up right away, it’s important to follow these crucial things, so that you don’t fall into a heap of other problems unknowingly. Don’t ignore mold remediation Bethesda because mold and mildew can grow in water damaged houses really quickly.
