New Providence Restoration Professionals Talk Water Damage Mitigation

5/26/2022 (Permalink)

No matter if the water loss event is big or small, SERVPRO of Western Union County can mitigate the damage and restore your home!

New Providence Water Damage Basics: The Mitigation Phase

When your New Providence home suffers a water loss, you cope not only with the harm done but also with a steep learning curve as experts discuss recovery. Two terms that might seem interchangeable are mitigation and remediation. Instead, they represent separate phases of the restoration process, both essential to making it “Like it never even happened.” Mitigation tasks have the following purposes and implementation. 

Mitigation Limits Current Damage and Prevents Further Loss

Phase one of your New Providence water damage recovery agenda includes mitigation tasks. Our project manager uses a visual analysis of the affected area and data from temperature and moisture detection devices to define the current perimeter of the water incursion. We then use the skills learned at the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) training to arrest the spread and migration of water beyond that line. 

Water Extraction Is Mitigation 

SERVPRO’s service vehicles hold a comprehensive inventory of water extraction equipment. Mitigation starts with a specific extraction course, starting with submersible pumps if standing water is two or more inches deep. Wanded portable or truck-mounted extractors use powerful suction to clean surfaces and fixtures like carpeting of residual water. We scan using infrared cameras for temperature fluctuations that signal the presence of trapped moisture behind, under, or above structures.  

Planned Demolition Can Aid Mitigation  

Mitigation can include controlled demolition to access the hidden water. Sections of drywall removed as “flood cuts” or punched or drilled “weep holes” release water from places it flowed and seeped. Choosing to take these steps might seem to worsen the damage. Instead, they permit SERVPRO crews to prevent the progressive deterioration of porous building materials and avoid secondary issues such as mold damage. We collect and dispose of as much of the hidden moisture as possible. 

Structural Drying Completes Mitigation 

Once the bulk of the water exits your home via pumps and extractors, structural drying commences. Thorough extraction does not eliminate the need for structural drying, but it significantly shortens the time necessary to reach normal moisture levels. SERVPRO Applied Structural Drying (ASD) technicians use the data gathered during the assessment phase and moisture metering of similar types of structural components in unaffected areas of the house to determine drying goals. Air movers and heaters create ambient conditions that evaporate the water absorbed by building materials. Then our dehumidifiers capture and collect the water for permanent disposal. 

SERVPRO of Western Union County has a trained workforce and cutting-edge equipment required to mitigate water damage. Confine the current damage and prevent further loss by calling us at (908) 791-9177.