On any given day, home water damage emergencies effect 14,000 people to their home due to a variety of causes, often requiring water mitigation services. Between broken pipes, leaky windows, bad roofs and malfunctioning appliances the scope of the damage can vary greatly, but either way it means a big, soggy, potentially moldy, mess.
If you are dealing with a home damaged by water and are wondering about the water mitigation process read on for some options to consider.
Common Sources of Damage Done by Water
There are two main categories of water damage. The first is plumbing or appliance problems. Less common, but just as damaging is weather-related problems such as rain, snow or burst pipes from a freeze. With 98% of basements experiencing water damage in their lifetime, it’s a problem you’re likely to experience during home ownership in Utah.
Type of Water Damage
The possibility of needing water mitigation depends in part on what type of water damage you’re dealing with and how much damage occurred. There are three categories of water that can harm your home:
- Category 1: White Water This type of problem can still cause a lot of damage but is generally easier to address because the problem stems from a hygienic source like a broken pipe, rainwater or melting snow.
- Category 2: Gray Water This type of damage can be more costly and happens when the water damaging your home has been exposed to contaminants. This could mean bath water or a leaking washing machine or dishwasher.
- Category 3: Black Water The most expensive and potentially dangerous, this type of water damage may contain pathogenic or toxic contaminants from sewage. This happens from toilet backflows and sea, river or lake water.
Keep in mind that within days, clean or even gray water can turn into black water by becoming toxic by what it comes in contact with so it’s crucial that homeowners take quick action when water damage is spotted. Quick action is the key when faced with water damage, to prevent toxicity, mold and irreparable damage.
Determining if you need water mitigation also depends on how extensive the damage is. The Institute of International Cleaning and Restoration Certification has determined 4 classes of water damage:
- Class 1: Minimal amount of water to a mostly non-porous area (i.e. tile floors). It’s easy to remove the moisture and it can dry out.
- Class 2: Significant amount of water. Areas with carpet or other medium to high porous materials got wet.
- Class 3: A great amount of water absorption. This includes carpet, wall and ceiling boards.
- Class 4: Most damaging with the majority of moisture trapped in the building materials. This level may require long drying times, specialized methods or new construction.
What Will Water Mitigation Do For Me?
If you’re dealing with water damage Class 2 level or above then you may require water mitigation services to deal with the problem before mold and major damage become an issue.
A water mitigation service will come to your home and assess the situation to determine what steps need to be taken to stop the problem quickly and get your home dry. Their services may require removing drywall or flooring or parts of the ceiling but they will only do so if it is necessary. If an outer wall of the home has the leak or damage then there is often more steps to fix the issue as the insulation in outer walls will retain liquid.
Floorboard may need to be removed to help create room for airflow as well. Any steps in removing parts of your wall, floor or ceiling will be to control the damage area, speed up the drying process and to hopefully save more of the damaged area.
Water mitigation services will have special equipment that can dry out your home more efficiently than just soaking up extra water with towels and pointing a fan at the wall. The water cleanup will include industrial dehumidifiers that will cut down on the likelihood of mold growth. Other equipment used would be air scrubbers that can remove moisture from the air and filter out any potential mold and mildew spores.
When determining where to focus their efforts a water mitigation team will utilize thermal imaging cameras to see exactly where the problem is and how quickly it is drying. These efforts combined with high-velocity air dryers and movers will have your house drying out efficiently and safely.
Does Water Damage Hurt Your Home Value?
If you quickly dealt with water damage in the past and had water mitigation or restoration services take care of the problem then odds are good the issue won’t affect the future sale of your home or home value.
If you’ve had issues and got a poor water mitigation job or tried to do it yourself then visible water damage in the walls or ceilings such as water stains or buckling or issues with mold will hurt your home value. If you have a home that has had recurring issues such as a basement that floods after each heavy rain then a failure to solve the problem and professionally dry out your home each time will also potentially hurt your home value.
Sell Your Home Instead
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle and expense of dealing with a home with major water damage, recurring water leak issues then you can cut your losses and sell your home. If you don’t find luck with a traditional buyer who gets scared off by water problems or damage that needs repair then reach out to us and we’ll give you fair cash offer. Gary Buys Houses is your local, trusted house buying company. We are used to dealing with homes in less-than optimal condition and will make you a fair cash offer on your home as-is. Working with a house buying company allows you to sell your home without the time, stress and cash needed to make the repairs yourself.