When disaster strikes and you find yourself with water damage in your home, your head spins. First, it ruins your day — that’s a given. You dismiss the option of calling a professional water damage company in favor of the DIY or “do it yourself” route.
But first, you do what we all do; you grab a shop vac and start sucking. The first canister of water seems productive. But after a few runs outside with a full shop vac bucket of water (splashing and spilling) without seeing progress on the war you’re fighting, you get the first thought that maybe you should call a professional water damage company. You might be onto something here!
Aside from throwing your back out lugging shop vacs full of water, how else can you tell whether it’s time to call in a professional water damage company?
- If you wouldn’t drink the water, call for help. Who knows what is actually in the water that invaded your home. Contamination types and levels can vary. Category 2 water is called “gray water.” This includes water from shower or tub drains, and water from a washing machine or dishwasher. Clean water can become “Cat 2” if it passes over construction materials and incidental contaminants (wood flooring, carpet, padding, drywall, etc. and whatever happens to be on these surfaces). Category 3 refers to “black water” damage and you really don’t want to be a do it yourselfer in sewage water. The threat to permanent damage to your home is significant. http://healthybuildings.com/indoor-air-quality/flood-cleanup-procedure/
- If you can’t get your carpet to be considered “damp” instead of wet on your own within a few hours (with that shop vac suck/lug system), call a professional. Time is of the essence in a water damage situation. As water sits, it gets dirtier and at a point can create a great environment for mold growth. What seems doable with “a few shop vac buckets” is usually hundreds of gallons of water. A person with normal household tools will never be able to find professional results (or even marginal success) against most water damage situations.
- When you have REALLY dirty water where it shouldn’t be, it might be a Category 3 water damage. This level of dirty is called “black water.” Yes, that’s as bad as it sounds. It ranges from harsh chemicals and sewage to oil and harmful bacterial. Protect yourself and call STOP Restoration in Colorado Springs, CO for proper water damage drying and treatment of all water-affected materials. We’ve got the experience, training, and equipment to handle any type of water or flood problem safely.
In a nutshell, time lapse and quantity of water determine whether or not to call in the professionals. If the water has been there more than a day, call your local STOP franchise. http://hubpages.com/living/Do-it-yourself-home-water-clean-up-and-water-damage-repair-DIY
It doesn’t take much time for bacteria and mold to start growing. The first thing you’ll probably notice is the smell. Even if there isn’t much water or you took care of it a few days ago, bad odor can signal the need to pick up the phone. We’ve got the equipment and the expertise to remove the water and then properly dry out everything from the carpet to the walls to the antique sofa. Water damage is already stressful enough – let us help.
Nobody wishes a broken pipe or sewer back up on anyone, even their worst enemy. We’re all friends on the same team against disaster. STOP Restoration (“STOP”) in Colorado Springs, Colorado is owned by Jason Ulmer. Jason is a U.S. veteran and does things right… just like all the other STOP franchise owners across the country.
STOP is a full-service, professional water damage company you can count on. We honestly hope you’ll never have a reason to call us. But should the need present itself, we want you to know that you can call us for any water, fire, smoke, or mold damage that might pop up. And they always seem to pop up in the most unexpected ways.
There is no job that is too big or too small for us to handle. Just call 719-249-7103 and ask to speak with Jason. STOP has a professional water damage drying plan with the equipment you’ll need, ready to go. STOP also handles fire, smoke and mold remediation. We’ll cooperate with your insurance company to help make your water damage experience as smooth and insignificant as possible.
