Why can’t I just dry this myself? Do I really need to hire a professional to clean up water damage?
Our answer to these very reasonable questions is based on the truly significant amount of damage that not a lot of water can have on your home and the fact that the actual damage caused is often not able to be seen without the right equipment. It may seem like water damage is a pretty simple process – clean up the water – but in fact it does go beyond simply getting rid of the standing water and includes careful monitoring and a scope of work that differs depending on the source or where the water came from. The water could contain harmful pathogens that could contaminate your entire home and jeopardize the health of inhabitants if not responded to properly. Sources of water include the following:
- Category 1 – Water loss from a sanitary source like a broken pipe. Could potentially dry everything in place.
- Category 2 – or grey water, is a water loss from a less than sanitary source like a washing machine overflow. May require demolition of impacted building materials
- Category 3 – or black water, a water loss from an unsanitary source, like a sewer backup. Will require demolition of impacted building materials
In the photo at the top of the page, Noah of our Mitigation team takes a moisture meter to an otherwise seemingly dry surface only to grab a reading indicating complete saturation! That likely could be missed by someone not trained to handle water damage which could mean mold growth could develop behind the wall and spread to other currently unaffected areas of the home.
Save yourself the headache of having to deal with costly residual damages caused by water damage not addressed correctly by calling a professional immediately after experiencing a water loss in your home!
With a professional, IICRC Certified Water Damage Restoration professional on your side, you’ll avoid the following:
- Spending more time and money fixing the compromised structural integrity of your home where water damage was not addressed correctly
- Spending more time and money removing mold growth that occurs if water was not completely dried out of all building materials and areas out of sight (ex. In wall cavities)
- Not having your homeowner’s insurance cover the damages. However, if it is a sudden and accidental cause like an appliance fixture or a pipe bursting and you are able to report it immediately, the chances of coverage are on your side!
- Compromising the health of your home – Water damage from an unsanitary source like a toilet fixture can contain contaminants and pathogens that are harmful to human health!
Your time and money is precious which is why Premier Restoration Hawaii is here for you 24/7 when property disasters strike. With locations on Oahu, Maui, Big Island and Kauai, we can service 98% of the entire State of Hawaii to ensure that your small water loss doesn’t turn into a big one!
