One of the prominent questions we get asked when responding to a water call is “How long is this going to take?” And our typical response is “we’re not 100% sure until we get started.” That answer is not in any way intended to be non-committal nor is a restoration company trying to dodge the question. The reality is that there are so many factors involved in a disaster cleanup, such as a water loss, that it’s hard to give a timeline when we arrive at your doorstep. Here are just a few of the things we’re addressing when we show up to an emergency water call.
- What’s the source of the water?
- How long has it been leaking? (This could determine whether or not the claim is covered by insurance)
- Is it still leaking?
- What type of water is it? Is it clean water from a sink or a supply line? OR was it a toilet overflowing with clear water? Was there “stuff” in the water when the toilet overflowed, you know… stuff?
- What is the area affected? How many rooms? How many floors?
- How much water are we looking at extracting? Is it ½ an inch? Is it ankle deep… or deeper?!
- Did the water penetrate porous material such as drywall or wood? Is it possible to dry these materials or is some of it so saturated that it will warp during drying, so it will have to be removed?
- If it’s LVP flooring, did the water get under the flooring? If so, how far did it travel under the flooring?
- IF materials must be removed, OSHA requires that we conduct asbestos testing. This is 24 hr. turnaround time in most cases.
- If the area affected by water has a lot of household items such as furniture, decorations, exercise equipment, etc., those items will have to be moved out and dried.
- Depending on how many rooms were affected, we may have to pack out those rooms and move the contents into storage while mitigation and repairs take place.
As you can see, it’s not a simple answer. We can however tell you that, on average, it takes 2-5 days to dry a home that has been affected by a water loss. Again, depending on how much of the residence was affected. If the area affected has hardwood floors and we determine that it’s possible to save the floors by using our Injectidry system, this could take 5-10 days because the hardwoods must be dried at a slower rate to keep the wood from warping.
So, next time you ask a restoration professional “How long is this going to take?”, be prepared for a long-winded answer.
