As we get close to Halloween, one scenario that sends shivers down the backs of most homeowners is the thought of a sewage backup in their home. Imagine, if you will, waking up one early morning. It’s still dark out and you still have plenty of sleep in your eyes. You stumble into the bathroom to brush your teeth and take your shower when you first notice that something isn’t quite right. Your heart sinks as you reach the chilling realization that you are about to have a bad morning. The sewer has backed up into your home and you don’t know where to turn.
We see this scenario all the time. Most people immediately call a plumber right away to stop the damage, but where do you turn after the plumber leaves and you realize that plumbers don’t clean the mess? Service Team of Professionals — Spokane specializes in sanitizing and mitigating what is referred to category 3 water losses.
Water losses (floods and damage from water leakages) come in 3 categories (much like clean, grey and black water). Clean water, from say a tap, is considered category 1. A category 2 water loss is when the water has traveled through less clean space, but is not immediately a health risk. Category 3 is anything with microbial growth or poses a health risk (bacteria, mold, etc).
The idea of cleaning up this mess by yourself sounds gross, doesn’t it? Trust your instincts. Not only is it gross, it’s dangerous. It’s also important. The longer you wait, the more damage is being done to your structure. Water, if left, will mold within days. It also has a tendency to travel, so the longer it sits, it will spread to more areas in the home as well. Especially with category 3, not only will the risk of rot and damage increase, but so will the risk of getting your family sick.
For this reason, even if you haven’t heard from your insurance adjuster, you may think twice if you’re planning on waiting until you know if this loss is covered. Extending time before starting cleanup increases, not only risk, but is likely to increase the scope of our job in cleaning. The sooner we are able to get started, the less damage is likely to occur. One of our first steps is to contain the affected area, which keeps your family safe from the bacteria and other microbials likely to be found inside containment. Before we can put up our containment, we need to get rid of any standing water.
There is a lot of work to be done when dealing with a category 3 water loss, and on the front end, time is definitely of the essence. Our water technicians have the right skills and the right equipment to get the job done safely and efficiently so that you and your family can breathe easy. So, if you have a rough morning, call the experts at Service Team of Professionals — Spokane! We’re easy to reach at (509) 818-7744 or on the web at www.stopspokane.com. We’ll be there right away, be it night or day with our 24/7 emergency service to make sure you are taken care of as quickly as possible.
