Flooded Basement Horror Story Highlights the Importance of Reliable Water and Flood Restoration

2/1/2022 (Permalink)

Blog Summary: When the home or basement floods, the homeowner needs to entrust the restoration project to a reliable damage restoration company that can implement a rapid response.

SERVPRO of Media provides the Newtown Square community with dependable water damage restoration services. Technicians are trained and certified in property damage restoration and utilize state-of-the-art equipment, advanced technology, and safe cleaning products. The team understands the importance of reliable water damage restoration services and the difference it can make on the scope of the job, the overall cost of the project, and the lives of the people impacted by the disaster.

The Uncertainties of Home and Basement Flooding

A flooded basement horror story in Forbes highlights the importance of reliable flood damage restoration. According to the article, “Shawn Hill and his family came home from a camping trip to find their finished basement was flooded, and ‘the carpet was soupy and it smelled horrible,’ said Shawn. While this situation was anything but ideal, they were lucky to have a home warranty, so they filed a claim right away, and a plumber came out to assess the damage. Unfortunately, the plumber found that the bottom of their water heater had completely rusted out and they needed to replace it right away. While the Hill’s home warranty covered the call to the plumber, it did not cover the water heater, which they had to pay for out of pocket.”

Having just purchased a house, the Hill family had to turn to their savings to replace the water heater. By the next day, the old water heater was removed, and a new fixture was installed.

Here is where the saga of the flooded basement truly becomes a horror story. The day after the water heater was replaced, the basement flooded again. The homeowner explained the distressing details, “Turns out, it wasn’t the water heater. It didn’t rust out and cause all of this water damage. One of our kids put a toy down the toilet and the mainline was jammed. Getting the mainline cleaned was 100% covered by our home warranty. We got duped by the first contractor we ever hired.”

Three Concerns: Water Removal, Rapid Response, and Contractor Reliability

When a large-scale water damage disaster occurs, an immediate response is a priority, especially in the case of a fully-furnished basement that features furniture, appliances, memorabilia, or electronics. Truck-mounted high-pressure pumps can make short work of massive amounts of water. For context, one foot of water in a two-thousand square foot basement is almost 15,000 gallons of water. Rapid-spin fans and dehumidifiers complete the task of moisture removal.

1. The Water Issue

Items damaged by a water intrusion involving clean water can be dried, repaired, cleaned, and salvaged. Electronics can be professionally dried, and furniture or carpeting can be fully restored. However, if the water lingers for an extended period of time, the consequences can be catastrophic.

In 48 hours or less, water intrusion can deteriorate into black water, causing the area to rapidly become toxic. Black water and materials affected by it must be removed properly. Most porous and absorbent items contaminated by black water are unsalvageable. Additionally, if black water is involved in a flood, it may be much more challenging to dry out the house due to safety considerations. A certified professional company should always be used to remediate water damage issues involving black water.

In a situation like the horror story described in Forbes, the flooded basement was a black water catastrophe because the water remained for more than 48 hours in the basement. The detail about a toy lodged in the drain indicates the presence of sewage in the intrusion.

2. The Timing Issue

A delay in the removal of bulk water, moisture, and high humidity levels leads to secondary damage that can cause more damage than the initial water intrusion event. Advanced secondary damage complicates the restoration process. Swollen baseboards and warped drywall must be replaced, and flooring substrate may not be salvageable when it deteriorates.

3. The Trust Issue

An element of the water damage horror story was the plumber’s apparent misrepresentation of the source of the water intrusion. Homeowners should seek out qualified, reliable, and trustworthy service providers. Anxiety and stress are already at high levels when the roof leaks, the power goes out, or the basement floods. When a dependable, competent service provider answers the phone, a huge weight begins to lift from the distressed homeowner.

Amid the uncertainties of dealing with flooding, the one certainty is that SERVPRO of Media can thoroughly remediate the damage and minimize secondary damage. Homeowners who need water damage remediation and flood cleanup services in Newtown Square, PA can reach out to SERVPRO of Media by calling (610) 566-5720 or by emailing office@SERVPROmedia.com