Steps to Take After a Water Leak Affects Your Henrico Property

After the initial shock and frustration, it's time to accept the water in your Henrico home. Focusing on what to do next is essential rather than wondering what could have been. A good mitigation exercise can save you considerable money or preserve sentimental valuables you would have difficulty replacing even with the best insurance. Even as you plan your response, you should not assume you know what is damaged since each water damage incident is unique. 

Not All Water Damage Is Equal

The leak source greatly influences water mitigation strategies for Henrico homes. Resolving a clean water leak is very different from resolving an overflowing toilet or a sewer backup since mitigating the latter requires decontamination. Sometimes, the distinction is not so clear, so you can easily take the wrong actions without knowing. Lightspeed Restoration carries out professional evaluations quickly, allowing the rest of the restoration to progress. 

The Tools Behind a Thorough Evaluation

  • Borescopes for inspecting wall interiors

  • Hygrometers for humidity levels

  • Thermal cameras to identify hidden moisture

  • Cutting or drilling tools to open areas as a last resort

Besides establishing the water condition and its spread patterns, inspection lets you know the materials you are dealing with. Lightspeed Restoration crews are well versed with material traits such as drywall deteriorating fast when submerged in water or concrete absorbing and holding moisture. Structural wood and floorboards may take time to show signs until they warp and rot, making restoration a mirage. Once we have a complete inventory of the affected areas, we can prioritize the most impactful mitigation processes. For instance, setting up dehumidifiers early instead of waiting until the drying phase ensures that high humidity does not destroy hygroscopic materials like drywall or books. 

Stop Cross-Contamination Before It Spreads

Water dissolves many materials and transfers them as it spreads across your property. Cross-contamination can range from mild issues, such as fabric dyes spreading and soiling surrounding items, to hazardous, such as lead-based paint residue spreading. Sometimes, cross-contamination occurs as you attempt mitigation. If you have an older home, dangerous substances such as asbestos may be exposed by demolitions to replace materials. Lightspeed Restoration crews take precautions based on the prevailing conditions. Moving some items out of the way or setting up containment separating different structure areas are typical solutions. For example, we can use heavy-duty plastic sheets to create containment zones around where we discover mold, ensuring mold debris does not spread while cleaning the mold.

Thoroughly cleaning and drying the property is essential to completing the mitigation. Turning to Lightspeed Restoration of Richmond West to handle the process ensures convenience despite the circumstances. It's as easy as calling (804) 335-1150.

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