In this blog entry, the professional NYC area water damage restoration (as well as TriState Area water damage, fire damage, mold remediation, and much more) team here at 24Serv will detail the answers to some frequently asked questions we receive about our water damage remediation services.

How long does it take to dry my property?

Trying time depends on a range of different factors, including the location of the water, how long the flooding has been occurring, the source of the water, what kinds of building materials are involved, the weather, and how quickly you begin treating the source of the water. With constant monitoring and close evaluation of the drying process, we can give you a very specific prediction of when the drawing will be completed, your carpet might feel dry, or your floor might feel dry, but padding or subfloor is might have moisture underneath them. It is possible that you can take between two and five days to fully dry, extremely flooded environments.

 

How will I know when my property is actually dry?

We will use specialized equipment to determine whether your property is fully dry, simply touching surfaces, might falsely indicate dryness.

 

Can turning up the heat dry things?

Not always. We will adjust the temperature of your property for best dry conditions. Do not change the setting, while the drying process is underway, or turn off the HVAC system.

 

Do I have to replace wet wood floors?

Wood flooring will have to be analyzed. We use special drying systems and dehumidifiers to quickly dry wood floors and allow them to resume their intended shape. Hardwood flooring and polyurethane finishes on hardwood flooring. Take longer to dry than other surfaces.

 

Can you restore wet furniture?

The extent of water damage, and how the furniture is, constructed, will determine whether it can be restored or whether it will need to be replaced. Your furniture will have to be dried before water damage can be properly analyzed. Any totally damaged furniture it will be documented, and if any items need to be discarded, you will be provided a customer release form.

 

Do I need to move out of my property during the drying process?

This depends on guidance from your insurance representative in the event of you filing an insurance claim. This is also largely your decision. You will need to think about your own safety, although our equipment is highly childproof, we will require your constant supervision to ensure that children do not play with it. Additionally, air movers and professional dehumidifiers can be quite noisy and cause your property to be drafty.

 

Will there be lingering smells after drying services?

Sometimes increased heat and humidity during the drying process causes increased odors from the building materials or spill and accident areas. However, these orders should not be confused with the smell of mold. As services dry, and humidity levels drop, these orders will disappear on their own. Additionally, we  use deodorizers to minimize odors associated with water damage and the drying process.

 

How can I handle wet ceilings?

We will analyze moisture content, determine the damage severity, and may have to remove a portion of your ceiling for ventilation. Wet insulation can be very dangerous as well, and might need to get removed.

 

Should I open the windows for drying?

We don’t always recommend this – but it’s determined based on outdoor weather conditions. Ask one of our technicians for advice.

 

Can I walk around the area during the drying process?

We recommend lowering traffic in the water damaged area to a minimum, as well as always wearing shoes for safety.

 

Can you restore carpets or will it have to be replaced?

We will try our best to restore your carpets, which we have been able to do on many occasions, but there are a number of situations which render carpets unsalvagable. These include when carpets are delaminated and lose their backing, when carpets lose adhesion, when there are permanent stains, when flooded carpets are above wood flooring that you prioritize saving, and when carpets are contaminated by sewage.

 

Why do specialty floors sometimes need to be removed?

Flooring that is non-porous can trap water and prevent it from drying out. Sometimes specialty floors are removed after evaluation, and the greatest efforts to restore and reinstall them after water is removed will be made.

 

How can you match carpet pads?

We will use a sample of your carpet pad and do our best to find a fully identical carpet pad. If the original pad is not available, we will provide a pad of the same quality, thickness, and density.

 

What do you do with area rugs?

We will bring area rugs to our warehouse to provide special care including specialty drying techniques to minimize discoloration and color bleeding.

 

What do you use air movers and dehumidifiers for?

When water damage happens, water can be absorbed into drywall sheetrock, subflooring, baseboards, and more. In order to dry these structural surfaces, we use high-velocity air movers to accelerate how much moisture absorbed is released into the air. Dehumidifiers will then remove this extra mpostire from the air, creating ideal conditions for drying.

 

Can items contaminated with sewage be restored?

Hard surfaces can be cleaned and professionally sanitized. Items that cannot be sanitized will need to be disposed. Any porous materials like ceiling tiles, insulation, particleboard, paneling, ceiling tiles, and more, that have been contaminated with sewage, will need to be removed, analyzed, potentially treated, and potentially replaced during our emergency water damage remediation service.