One of the many problems that homeowners have either dealt with already or may have to deal with in the near future is water damage. These two words can make anyone who owns property dread, and there is a good reason for this. Many elements can affect this including weather changes and calamities such as heavy snow and constant rainfall is almost a double-edged sword.
When it only rains one can manage this in many ways but when it snows and rains at the same time, the snow tends to melt and increase the damp effect onto any given surface such as house roof, walls, windows, gutters, etc.
This has been known to cause various problems that, in time, weaken the structure and lose the stronghold that walls of house and roofs are meant to have, further reading about this can be found online.
This article looks at a few factors related to liquid damage, when not fixed immediately or correctly, and which can cause thousands of dollars in damages.
Some of The Common Causes of Water Damage
There can be many causes of damage caused by this natural element, as mentioned above the weather is the biggest one. However what people don’t realize is that often after it rains they do not check for the side-effects it has left and go about their daily lives only to find a few things that happen as a cause of this such as leaking roofs, foundational cracks, roof tile cracks and displacement, which can happen on any structure.
There are however other secondary things that can happen to cause liquid damage and these include:
- Washing Machines Overflowing
- Dishwashers Leaking
- Toilets Clogging Up
- Broken Appliance Hoses
- Leaks in the Plumbing
- It is collecting in The Basement or The Attic
To name a few.
Two things can happen as a result of this, either minor issues such as your floor getting wet and your basement being damp or major effects such as the building structure weakening, and destruction such as floods sweeping your home away. One of the best remedial actions to take is to start cleaning up immediately, and this can be done by experts who are skilled at handling these sorts of scenarios.
The sooner you start cleaning the better your chances are at saving your personal belongings. It should be emphasized that this should not be done entirely by you due to the health hazard involved in dealing with this type of volatile component.
The Various Categories of Water Damage
Deterioration can occur in various stages, some are more severe than others, and will need immediate attention and repair, others may be able to wait a while. However, any type of damage such as this sort must be fixed as soon as possible no matter how small it may seem for the risk of it becoming a bigger deal.
According to the CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) website, https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/emergency/extreme-weather/building-damage.html, there are a few different categories that this type of damage is labelled by:
Category 1: This is the clean kind that is normally harmless and does not pose any health problems, this would be found in instances such as the sink is leaking in the bathroom or kitchen.
Category 2: This is known as “Grey Water” and often occurs from things such as a broken toilet, or seepage through the sump pumps. This is contaminated liquid and should not be dealt with if you are not a professional, as it can be harmful to health and hazardous when touched, as it contains bacteria and micro-organisms of various kinds.
Category 3: This is the worse of its kind and also known as “Black Water”. The name itself should make you wonder. But if you’re in doubt, this is not leakage you want to be around or touch or even breathe near. This is found in and around broken sewages and will be contaminated with harsher micro-organisms than the grey water. The worse case is when this substance, is left standing for long periods, can be a perfect breeding place for harmful insects such as mosquitoes.
Just these three reasons above should make you more diligent when it comes to checking in and around the house for any leaks, damages, and stagnant water which may be harmful to you or your family, especially if you have children who play all over the premises.
When fixing multiple damages or even just the one, the services that are capable of doing this comprise of trained professionals that deal with water damage on a regular basis, in which case they have the right tools and equipment to handle these scenarios and also to help in times of emergency.
The success of restoration when such things happen will depend on the severity of the problem and the amount of seepage that has already filled up or destroyed a structure. This is why the emphasis is on sorting it out as soon as possible. There are restoration companies that have strict protocols and procedures that they follow to help residents out.
On point to note is that moisture promotes the growth of harmful organisms and mold, which can be hazardous to the respiratory system of children and young adults and also to those who suffer from asthma or any underlying respiratory or lung disease. Mold can also aggravate allergies in people and exposing yourself to this can be detrimental to you and your children.
Aspects such as outflow collected in the basement may be a quick process but if the roof has caved in due to a storm or severe rainfall it may take a couple of days to fix, and sometimes households will need to find a temporary place to stay elsewhere while the experts fix the situation. This can also be predicted by yourself seeing the level of damage that has been caused and before the services arriving, so that arrangements can be made for you and your family to stay in a hotel or at friends or family member’s home.
