• By susielib003@gmail.com
• In BLOG

The Water Damage Restoration Process

For anybody who experiences a flood, burst pipe, or a leaky roof, more often than not, the first question that comes to mind once the more immediate water problem is solved is “what now?” Facing down pools of standing water and rising humidity in your home, you only know you need to act fast before mold or bacteria take root. It is paramount that you contact a certified professional, like LM Companies LLC , to begin the water damage restoration process as quickly as you can to reduce the amount of water damage your home or business faces.

Step 1: Inspection in Your Water Restoration Process

The first thing we’ll do when we arrive on the scene is to inspect your home or business to evaluate the amount and type of water damage done to your property. We will determine the class and category of your water damage, which will help us pave a path forward in mitigating the water damage your home or business has suffered. As a large loss contractor, specializing in Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 Water Damage, we follow strict protocols to minimize structural loss.

• Class 1 water damage involves water saturation to part of a room that has sustained minimal damage.
• Class 2 water damage affects an entire room and involves saturation soaked into the walls and carpets.
• Class 3 water damage is regarded as the worst level of water damage and involves saturation of most of the area, water soaked up into the walls, through the floors, and possibly coming in through the ceiling.

While we are determining the class of water damage, we will also look to the category of water damage your home or business has sustained to tailor the best restoration process for your specific situation.

• Category 1 involves damage from a “clean” water source such as toilet tanks, broken supply pipes, or even ground water overflow (such as from a malfunctioning sump pump). Category 1 water damage can quickly degrade to Category 2 or 3 if it is not mitigated quickly.
• Category 2 involves damage with “greywater,” including water from your washing machine or dishwasher.
• Category 3 involves damage from unhygienic water sources, including septic or sewer backups, river floods, or Category 1 or 2 damage that is left to sit too long. This category is the most dangerous as it can cause illness or even death, due to the potential contaminations in the water.

Step 2: Water Removal

As you can imagine, this is one of the most important steps of the water damage restoration process. Our certified professionals will use a variety of tools to remove as much of the standing water from your home or business as is possible. Often using industrial grade wet/dry vacuums positioned around the room and rotated frequently, we work quickly to remove as much water as your home as we can.

Step 3: Drying

Drying is one of the most critical steps to the water damage restoration process. Utilizing various types of air movers, we circulate the air in your home or business to help speed up the drying process. This step may require us to lift up sections of your carpet or, in more extreme situations, remove the baseboards and drill holes into the bottom of your walls, to help circulate air throughout and dry your space before mold or bacteria growth set in. When necessary, we use specialized floor mats to dry out saturated hardwood floors. While some of these measures may sound extreme, we make every effort to dry your home or business quickly, to avoid having to remove large sections of contaminated walls or floors.

Step 4: Cleaning and Restoration

Depending on how extensive your water damage was, this step may be as simple as cleaning all affected areas to prevent future mold and bacteria growth or it may be as complex as replacing large sections of drywall or carpeting. Once this phase is complete, your home or business will be restored to its previous condition and will be safe and clean for you and your loved ones to return to.

Questions?  Contact us today!