Water damage? Entrust the cleanup to professionals
Leaking roof, burst pipe, cracked foundation—or worse, a sewer backup. Besides the emergency work to fix the source of the problem, the biggest task after water damage occurs is cleaning and restoring the affected rooms, including the walls, floors and ceilings. Ideally, you should call in a company certified in damage restoration. Here’s what’s involved.
1. Clearing the flooded zone
Companies with expertise in damage remediation step in as soon as the water damage is contained and there is no longer any risk of electrocution or building structure failure. One of the first things to do is determine what type of water is involved: clean, grey or black (see the table below). That information will determine the next steps in the procedure—including whether the occupants will have to vacate the premises during the restoration work (this may be necessary after damage due to grey water, and certainly will be in the case of black water).
Types of water
CLEAN WATER:This is clean water from, for example, a burst water supply pipe or an overflowing sink or bathtub. Rainwater and groundwater are also clean. This type of water is not a threat to human health.
GREY WATER: Grey water is water from a washing machine or dishwasher drain, a toilet containing urine, or a sump pump. It can contain bacteria, but not solid waste. Depending on the degree of contamination, this water may cause discomfort or illness if it is ingested or comes into contact with skin.
BLACK WATER: This is contaminated water from sewage, floodwaters and sprinkler systems. It is unsafe, because it contains pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi). Black water can cause parasitic and microbial diseases.
Note that clean water may become grey water it is not eliminated within 48 hours of the incident, and grey water can evolve into black water if left untreated for the same amount of time.
Once removal of the water has begun or is complete, all furniture, carpets, rugs, curtains and debris must be removed. Any furniture, objects and appliances that could be damaged by the ambient conditions must also be moved.
Find a company certified under at least one of the following standards: the S-500 standard of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC); Standard CCA-82 of the Canadian Construction Association; Standard CSA – Z317.13-07 of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA); and the New York City Protocol (Guidelines on Assessment & Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments).
2. Assessing the water damage
A specialized crew won’t need to tear down whole swaths of your house to evaluate the situation. They use special tools, like a hygrometer to instantly obtain an accurate reading of the humidity of materials, and thermal-imaging cameras to delimit the damaged areas.
The professionals then assess the degree to which materials and structures are contaminated, while also considering the building’s history (because older damage may be hidden behind wall, floor or ceiling coverings, and deterioration that occurred over time will not be covered by insurance). Many kinds of materials can be dried out; others will have to be thrown away, for example if they damaged by grey or black water.
The affected area may need to be closed off to keep contamination from spreading to the rest of the house. If so, heating, ventilation and air conditioning will also need to be isolated; in this case, high-efficiency (HEPA) filters are installed.
3. Drying and cleaning
As soon as possible, the disaster remediation crew will install dehumidifiers to bring the relative humidity below 50%. Furniture and materials that got wet, such as wood, cardboard in drywall, and carpeting must be dried rapidly, ideally within 48 hours, to keep mould from spreading.
Drying out and cleaning the walls and ceilings will require removal of the baseboards and suspended ceiling panels. The crew will also cut openings into the bottoms and tops of walls or around hardwood or floating floors to allow air to circulate. The dehumidifiers and fans will remain in place until the end of the work.
In Types 2 and 3 damaged zones, materials not removed are cleaned using a broad-spectrum microbiocide to kill viruses, bacteria, etc.
4. Restoration of the premises following water damage
Once measuring instruments confirm that humidity and mould levels have returned to normal, the restoration work can begin, performed either by a general contractor or the company that handled the decontamination, if they hold the required licences (this depends on the agreement between you, as the homeowner, and your insurer).
To learn more about the various types of coverage and endorsements, see our Tips & Tricks article Water damage and insurance: Are you covered or not?