Water Mitigation
Water Damage Restoration in Jackson, Tennessee & Surrounding Areas
You always hope it will never happen – but then it does. A pipe bursts in the bathroom, a heavy rain floods the basement, or a toilet overflows! When it comes to water damage, a little bit goes a long way. If you’ve had flood damage to your home or office, water mitigation is absolutely essential to not only the integrity of your property but the safety of its occupants. You need a water damage specialist!
In the event of water leakage, flooding, or other water disasters, you want to get the problem taken care of quickly and effectively. Even a small amount of water can cause extensive damage to your property and present serious health risks if left untreated. When this happens to you, the safest and most effective way to clean up a water mess is to call on water damage restoration professionals in Jackson, Tennessee. As water mitigation specialists and mold remediation experts, E&T Contracting can remove the water and affected materials following a safe and thorough process that eliminates contaminants. You could attempt to clean the mess up yourself, but we don’t recommend it. Not only will you likely miss critical clean up, it could also cause health problems. If you have persistent water problems in your home or have incurred water damage due to weather or some other incident, E&T Contracting is your flood damage restoration specialist in Jackson, Tennessee.
Why Water Mitigation Matters:
- Structural Damage
- Devalued Property
- Mold
- Electrical Damage
- Health Hazards
- Bugs
Structural Damage
The last thing you want after a flooding event is to have the problem impact the rest of your life in that home! Water damage can cause weakened structure, ruined flooring, and damaged drywall. Flooring soaks up standing water and becomes prone to mold. Your subfloor could even warp or split, meaning you’ll end up replacing your floor in the long run. Wooden structures that support walls and floors can also become softened, weakened, and molded due to improper water remediation.
Wood appears tough on its surface, but is actually very porous, which leaves it particularly susceptible to water damage. Many homes have wooden floors, baseboards, and furnishings, as well as load-bearing elements such as posts and beams, so it is important to address water damage to any wood in your home, and recognize that the damage might be widespread.
The first few hours are critical when addressing the effects of water damage on your wood flooring. Wood will absorb moisture immediately and begin to swell as time passes. This doesn’t mean that all is lost if water has come in contact with your wood floors, but it does mean that the clock is ticking, and that the sooner the drying process begins, the easier and less expensive it will be.
Drywall deterioration can lead to crumbling walls! Drywall is an area that can be easy to forget or ignore, particularly if the water damage to other areas is more apparent. One huge issue when you’re dealing with drywall water damage is mold. Mold can hide inside of your walls, and this cool, damp space is ideal for this mold to grow unabated. Drywall with water or mold damage needs to be cut out and replaced.
Even small amounts of water damage to your drywall can also cause damage to the structural integrity of your home over time. If your drywall is not completely firm to the touch, but feels spongy, you are dealing with effects of water damage that could present structural dangers if not addressed.
Even sturdy materials like concrete, stone, or brick can soak up small amounts of moisture through cracks and pores. When that happens, unless the water is removed, these materials can begin to damage, eventually weakening the entire structure of your property.
Devalued Property
Want to sell your house someday? It’s going to be hard to do with signs of water damage. Water damage is hard to hide as it often manifests as permanent staining on walls and floors. Sometimes even paint cannot cover up these stains once they’ve set in. And no one wants to buy a home full of water damage stains. Even if you choose to ignore the flood damage to your home and not consult a Jackson, Tennessee flood repair specialist, a home appraiser won’t ignore it. A coat of paint won’t hide the signs that an appraiser has been trained to notice. Your home value will be greatly diminished and potential buyers will likely be turned off. If you’re worried about the upfront costs of water remediation, consider the longer term financial impact!
Mold
Mold! One of every homeowner’s worst fears. After a water damage event, microscopic amounts of mold can begin to grow only 24-48 hours later. Even if you don’t begin to see the impact for a few weeks, the damage is done! Any presence of water with the right temperature can cause mold to begin to grow. Once mold is present, it can be very difficult and expensive to treat and remove. Mold problems can lead to serious health risks for the members of your family. The presence of water inside a home converts dormant mold spores into active, growing mold! Ew! If flood damage continues unabated these active mold spores release millions of additional, reproductive mold spores into your home. These mold spores are a frequent source of allergic responses. When water damage occurs, the clock is ticking. Get a Jackson, Tennessee mold remediation specialist in as soon as possible to help reduce the likelihood of mold in your home after flood damage.
Electrical Damage
You don’t want to mess with electricity! And water and electricity do not mix well. Once your electrical system has been damaged by flooding, wiring, outlets, and electrical boxes become unsafe to use until they are professionally inspected. Electrical water damage is most common in kitchen appliances, washing machines, hot water tanks, furnaces, and low mounted electrical outlets. This combination of water and electricity can be dangerous and even fatal. After a flooding event, you should always turn off your home’s electricity and consult an electrician. You may be surprised to hear that your plumbing infrastructure can also be damaged by flooding. This is because flood water contains things that tap water does not and your pipes aren’t designed to handle these new things. Pipes exposed to flood water can corrode over time if the damage is not properly handled. You don’t want to ignore one burst pipe just to experience another as a result of damage from the first!
Health Hazards
Flood water is nasty stuff. It contains chemicals, toxins and bacteria that you do not want living in your home. If not treated correctly, these nasty toxins will linger on your affected furniture, carpets, and even inside your HVAC system long after the water has tried. Those microbes can cause respiratory health issues. There are three categories of flood water.
- Category 1: CLEAN WATER from sanitary sources, most notably the pipes in your home. This water has not yet been used for anything within your home, but is still fresh and clean.
- Category 2: GRAY WATER from outside of your home, such as ground water that has seeped into your basement, and post-use water from home appliances.
- Category 3: BLACK WATER from unsanitary sources that could contain human or animal waste. This water includes flood water from rivers and lakes, and any water containing sewage. This water should be treated as toxic.
If you are dealing with Category 3 water, you need to take a step back and call in the professionals immediately. This water can be unsafe to even touch or breathe around, and anything it has touched needs to either be disposed of or professionally cleaned and sanitized. A professional water damage remediation company will be able to determine whether contaminated belongings can be salvaged.
Even if they do not contain raw sewage, flood waters from outside of your home can carry a vast array of bacteria, toxins, mold, and even fungi. If your home was flooded by anything but clean tap water, your family may be exposed to these contaminants, and sterilization efforts must be undertaken.
Bugs
Bugs are attracted to moisture. That’s why you absolutely do not want your home full of moisture. Bugs seek out wet areas to lay their eggs. Hatching eggs and dying bugs can spread bacteria, which then attracts more bugs. Water damaged spaces can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, beetles, fleas, ticks, spiders, and more! Trust us, that’s the last thing you want! That’s why you need E&T Contracting as your qualified water remediation specialist in Jackson, Tennessee.