Dealing with flooding from broken plumbing or a local flood? You’re probably wondering if there’s any way you can fix it yourself! And if you can’t fix it yourself, will you have to call someone? Who?
The question is answered simply, right here, by Cleaner Guys, a professional water damage mitigation company.
We’ll cover a few important things to know about flood damage, but if you want to skip directly to the question of can you fix flood damage yourself, click here.
How Can You Tell If Flood Water Damaged Your House?
Signs that water has soaked into your walls or floors usually include brown stains around the area, paint bubbling or cracking, and sometimes funky, gross odors in that area. The drywall or floor can sometimes also be soft and squishable to the touch.
You may observe any combination of these signs, not necessarily all of them. We will note, however, that if the only sign you notice is a musty odor in some area(s) of your property, that is a very strong sign that there is mold somewhere, probably from the water. Usually, mold comes from moisture, which means there may be an undiscovered water problem as well.
What Happens if Flood Water Gets In Your Walls or Floors?
If water gets in your walls or floors, it almost always causes mold to grow. Depending on the amount of water, it can also soak into the wooden framing inside the walls, causing the wood to swell and bend!
How can water inside a wall cause mold to grow? There are 4 things that create an ideal growing place for mold: moisture, darkness, warmth, and organic material to feed on. The inside of your walls has all of that! It’s dark, water damage makes it moist, mold loves to feed on drywall and wood, and it’s warm and cozy. Read more about other places mold likes to hide in your house here.
Mold in your walls can also often cause mold sickness. This can be a big risk, as you can read here in this article from the United States EPA. We also cover the topic of mold sickness in our other professional articles here and here.
How to Fix Water Damage From Flooding
In most cases, unfortunately, water damage from flooding is not something you can fix yourself. This is because the techniques and equipment required to successfully repair the damage are things only professionals have. There are 2 standard ways to fix water damage from flooding: dry it out, or replace it. This depends on the severity of the flood damage.
Sometimes, the damage done by the water is minimal enough that the drywall can be safely dried out! Drying out the cavity inside of intact walls requires a special piece of equipment that only certified professional water damage restoration companies use (pictured below). It’s essentially a commercial-grade high-power fan, with many tubes attached to it. These tubes are inserted into small holes drilled into the drywall, and they blow high-powered air directly into the wall cavity! This is the only way to safely preserve the drywall intact.
If it is not possible to dry out the flood-damaged drywall or floors intact, then it all must be removed by a certified water damage mitigation company. This also requires careful, skilled work, and it is not something that should be DIYed. Click here to read more about the water damage mitigation process.
Who to Call to Fix Water Damage in Walls
If the flooding was caused by a plumbing accident in your home, then the first person you should call is a plumber. They’re the ones who should stop the source of the water. The second call you should make is to your insurance company, and the third call is to a water damage mitigation company.
However, if the water damage in your home is from natural local flooding, then you should skip the plumber, immediately call an insurance company, and then immediately call a water damage restoration company, like Cleaner Guys!
You’ll need a water damage mitigation company because they are the only ones with the training and equipment to properly and safely remove the flood damage from your home. If you’re unsure how to find a trustworthy, reliable company to do this, read this article.
More Resources
Here are some additional resources you may find useful on your journey to a fully-restored home!
How to find a reputable, trustworthy restoration company →
The Ultimate Guide to dealing with mold if you live in an apartment →
How to find a water damage restoration company with 24/7 service →
Recognizing mold sickness (which may occur if you have flood damage) →
If You Reside In Western Washington State
If you are anywhere north of Seattle in Western Washington State, consider Cleaner Guys as one of the wisest choices for your water damage restoration company. We’ve risen to be one of the most popular and well-loved in the area, and are often highly recommended by all the popular insurance companies. This is because of our award-winning customer service, our honest pricing, and our high standards for quality work and professionalism.
If you need water damage restoration in Mount Vernon WA, and you don’t know who to call, give us a call today at (360)757-4300.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. No part of this article is medical or legal advice, and may not be used as such. For all serious medical matters, consult your doctor. For all serious legal matters, consult your legal advisor. This article contains Cleaner Guys’ experience and opinions only.
