The Importance of a Rapid Response to Water Damage Cleanup

May 17, 2023

To say that burst pipes and leaks can badly impact the condition of your property would be stating the obvious, but the extent of the damage that water can leave behind is something that needs exaggerating because the consequences of inaction can be disastrous. A rapid response to a water damage cleanup incident is critical.

The health dangers of water damage

Water damage that has been left untreated increases the risk of health problems as flood water often contains hazardous contaminants such as bacteria, fungi and chemical pollutants. If the water is left to dry naturally without the involvement of specialist decontamination equipment, the contaminants will remain, posing often invisible but very real threats to your health.

Surfaces that have been damaged by water can encourage the growth of mould and this can worsen long-term health problems such as asthma. It can also trigger nasal congestion, coughs and other respiratory infections.

The formation of mould is almost guaranteed if damp areas are left untreated for longer than 48 hours, so this is the margin of time in which it is very important to start the water damage cleanup process immediately. It does not take a lot for mould to spread across surfaces that may be damp after an incident. The small size of mould spores makes it easy for this particularly unpleasant fungus to disperse easily.

Restore vs. replace following water damage

In many cases when a property has suffered a significant water leak or has been flooded, the action advised will be a complete strip-out of all damaged internal surfaces. This means that there is the risk of perfectly salvageable materials being removed, resulting in unnecessary expenses for property owners and insurers to deal with.

CPL t/a Rainbow Restoration were called to the scene in Orpington Village Hall, Kent, where a leak resulted in the escape of nearly 18,000 litres of water. Specialist building drying equipment was used to deal with the large volumes of standing flood water and all affected flooring, carpets and underlay were removed and intense drying was targeted at surfaces that did not qualify for removal to ensure no moisture or dampness remained.

As a result of these rapid stabilisation efforts during the water damage cleanup process, the property was spared a complete strip-out, since the team was called to action at the appropriate time. If the necessary water damage cleanup works had not been carried out in time, the environment could have been host to mould and contamination, which would have resulted in on-going problems, that would most likely cause disruption to the business going forwards.

Equipment for a rapid response to water damage cleanup

The effectiveness of a rapid response to water damage relies on the type of equipment that is used by specialists on the scene. Below are a few examples of equipment that is designed for the purpose of drying property to the point of restoration:

Desiccant dehumidifiers, which work by blowing out dry air and absorbing moisture from the area that is being dried, lowering the chances mould growth and spread.
Self-draining refringent dehumidifier, designed to deal with the wet air that is exhausted from the desiccant dehumidifier to avoid it returning to the environment.
High-pressure air turbine, which pumps dry air into the wall cavity at high pressure for effective drying, preventing internal moisture build-up.

Effective as this equipment may be, their efforts will be undermined if action is taken too late. Walls, floors, carpets and ceilings can only endure so much before too much moisture has been absorbed that no amount of warm air will be able to restore them to their original state.

If you are the owner of a property that has become a victim of water damage, whether it is extensive or just a leak, don’t take more than 48 hours to get in touch with CPL t/a Rainbow Restoration. Get in touch via our details on our contact page, so that what can be restored doesn’t need to end up being replaced.

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