WATER DAMAGE TIMELINE

9/3/2020 (Permalink)

Extracting water, setting up drying equipment and monitoring temperature and humidity are crucial to mitigate water damage.

Within Minutes:

• Water will quickly spread and saturate everything it touches.
• Walls, floors, upholstery and all your belongings will absorb water.
• Photographs, books and other paper materials will swell and start to warp.
• Furniture finishes and carpets may bleed and cause permanent staining.

What should you do?

• Shut off the source of your leak. Turn off water if needed and call a plumber to fix the leak. It may not always be easy to detect where a leak is coming from. Check out our post on common water leaks
• Call SERVPRO to start water extraction and set up drying equipment.

Hours 1-24:

• Drywall will start to swell and breakdown
• A musty odor appears which comes from mold starting to grow
• Furniture will swell and crack
• Metal surfaces will start to tarnish
• Dyes and inks from cloth and paper materials will spread and stain

What happens now?

• If you called SERVPRO early, drying equipment will be set up to stabilize the environment. It is important that we do not allow the moisture to continue to spread. Drying the areas that are not as saturated is important to minimize costly expenses.

48hrs to 1 Week:

• Mold and Mildew start to grow and spread
• Wood Flooring starts to swell and warp, you also may see it cupping.
• Paint will blister and you will notice bubbling.
• Metal will begin to rust and corrode.
• Furniture will show signs of mold and warping
• Serious bio-hazard contamination is possible

What Happens Now?

• When SERVPRO is called out, we monitor moisture levels daily and track the drying progress. Typically, after 3 Days we can have small water spills dried and free of excess moisture saving you money on costly teardown. However materials that are not showing steady progress after 3-5 days, will need to be removed. Mold needs moisture to grow, and the longer the moisture sits, the more opportunity it has to grow. That is why having the proper equipment in place is crucial to do early. Check out EPA for more info on mold in your home.

1 Week or Later:

• After 1 Week, you will see your restoration time has now been dramatically increased. At this point with no prior treatment of the areas, you will be looking at removing and replacing the affected materials. Structural rebuilding can be extensive. Make sure you call SERVPRO early so you can reduce the amount of removal that will need to be done on your home or business.

• Take note that once you have a water leak, that water will continue to move throughout your home if not properly contained. Containing and stabilizing the environment is exactly what our equipment is designed to do. Check out our blog on the Water Drying Process.

Never wait on Water Damage.

CALL SERVPRO right away! 805-507-5507