It's a scenario that can send shivers down any homeowner's spine. You return home, weary from a day of juggling school routines and work challenges. As you insert the key and attempt to open the door, you encounter an unexpected resistance, setting off a wave of unease.
Suddenly, the door swings open, and a rush of water spills out onto your front porch. Stepping inside, you're met with the disconcerting sensation of squishy, saturated carpet beneath your feet and a telltale trail of water damage climbing up your walls.
As you hurriedly scramble to shut off your home's water supply, a wave of relief washes over you, albeit temporarily. It dawns on you that this is merely the outset of what promises to be an arduous ordeal.
Now begins the crucial water mitigation process, and the steps you take at this juncture are of paramount importance. Swiftly lowering the humidity levels is imperative to mitigate the risk of more extensive damage, including the emergence of black mold and mildew.
Here's the recommended course of action to minimize your losses and initiate the cleanup process.
Common Causes of Water Damage in Residences
While the previously described scenario may be one of the most unexpected ways for water damage to occur in your home, it's also one of the most impactful. Water damage can strike at any time in a modern household due to various factors, including:
Flooded basement
Faulty toilet line
Roof damage
Frozen pipe
Natural disasters
Flood damage
Broken water supply line or nozzle
Dishwasher blockage
Excessive debris in a gutter or downspout
Costs of Water Mitigation Services
According to HomeAdvisor, the typical cost for addressing water damage in a home in 2021 ranged from $1,202 to $5,104, although it could surpass $12,000 in certain cases. It's important to note that these costs can fluctuate significantly and do not encompass the expenses associated with a full-scale restoration.
The extent of water damage, whether it's confined to a single room or section of your home, and whether walls, floors, or ceilings need to be removed for thorough drying, are crucial factors that directly influence the final cost of mitigation and restoration services.
It's important to recognize that small details can have a significant impact on pricing. For instance, restoring laminate flooring can be surprisingly more expensive than hardwood due to its tendency to absorb water and retain moisture on the subfloor, potentially leading to rot. Additionally, addressing water damage in exterior walls typically comes at a higher cost compared to interior walls due to the added complexities and potential structural issues involved.
Cost Variations Based on Types of Water Damage
Category 1: Clean water (e.g. a discharge from a water supply on the washing machine or toilet). It’s freshwater, so not generally dangerous.
Category 2: Gray water (e.g., a roof leak, water from the shower, laundry, dishwasher, sink before it reaches the sewage, at which point it would become black water). This water is yucky, but a little less dangerous. However, note that what seems like gray water may, in fact, be black. Only a licensed water mitigation professional can make this determination based upon industry standards.
Category 3: Blackwater (e.g., sewage backup, toilet backup. water flowing in off the street/yard) has a higher risk of disease-causing pathogens.
Indeed, mitigating water damage caused by contaminated or "dirty" water is typically more expensive due to the heightened health risks and the extensive saturation of walls, carpets, and other materials with potential fecal bacteria and other contaminants. This necessitates more thorough and specialized cleaning and disinfection processes, which can add to the overall cost of mitigation and restoration.
Here are some estimates for cleanup only based upon the type of water you’re dealing with:
Clean Water – $3.75 per square foot
Gray Water – $4.50 per square foot
Black Water – $7 per square foot
Mold removal costs averaged between $1,100 and $3,300 in 2021, which equates to approximately $10 to $25 per square foot. For larger-scale mold remediation projects, expenses could exceed $6,000.
Ways to Prevent and Minimize Water Damage
ou may not be able to prevent all water damage incidents, but you can certainly take proactive measures to prepare for the possibility and minimize potential harm. Consider investing in the following water mitigation tools and equipment ahead of time:
Sump pump
Industrial dehumidifiers
Water meter key
Sand or water bags
The Water Mitigation Process: Step by Step
Step 1: Identifying the Water Source
If the cause of water damage was a flood, then that source may be obvious. But in other cases, it may be unclear where this water is coming from.
where the source of the leak is readily apparent, you might have the option to shut off a valve located within your home.
For example, you’ll find the washing machine valve behind your washing machine. The toilet valve shut-off is below the reservoir.
If you're unable to pinpoint the source of the water leak, it's advisable to shut off the water supply at the water meter. Typically, you can find the water meter near the street, often under an iron lid. Ideally, you should have a water meter key on hand to lift the heavy lid, allowing you to control the flow of water before it enters your house.
A water meter key is a readily available tool that you can purchase at most home improvement stores, usually priced at under $15-$20, making it a worthwhile investment. Alternatively, in a pinch, a screwdriver can often be used to carefully pry the lid off if you don't have a water meter key on hand.
2. Remove Water
If you have a sump pump, begin pumping standing water out of your home. If you have industrial dehumidifiers, you can get these going.
Under no circumstances should you ever attempt to plug in or operate a dehumidifier or sump pump if you cannot do so from a dry and safe location. There is a grave risk of electrocution and potential fatal consequences if proper safety precautions are not observed.
If it's safe to use a sump pump and/or dehumidifier to initiate the water removal process, go ahead and do so. However, it's crucial to proceed to step three to prevent the development of a costly mold situation.
3. Contact a Water Mitigation Specialist
A professional water mitigation company responds promptly, arriving at the site of water damage to expedite the drying process and evaluate the depth of water infiltration into walls, ceilings, flooring, and other affected areas.
Even if you did have a dehumidifier, it’s critical to get this assessment because what you can’t see can hurt you.
Unaddressed moisture in these areas can create ideal conditions for the growth of black mold and mildew, compounding water damage cleanup costs and health hazards.
Step 4: Notify Your Insurance Company About Water Damage Mitigation
Your subsequent call should be to your insurance company. Depending on your policy, you may or may not have flood or water damage insurance. If your coverage applies, they might assist in arranging temporary accommodations and covering the expenses while professionals manage the water damage mitigation process.
If you have insurance coverage, your insurance company typically expects you to take reasonable measures to mitigate further damage. These measures may include:
Shutting the water valve or meter off
Drying the place out to prevent mold growth
Putting a tarp over a roof leak
Contacting a water mitigation company immediately to reduce damage caused by water. See step 3.
While the specifics of insurance policies can vary, insurance companies typically provide coverage for water damage in the following circumstances:
Sudden discharge of water, such as a burst pipe as opposed to a slow leak which they would expect you to catch and fix before it causes much damage through basic home maintenance.
Storm-related water damage, excluding flood damage. Ex: a tree falls on your house and destroys your roof during a storm.
Accidental sewer backup or overflow, which may also require a rider on your policy
Flood damage, but only if you have a flood damage rider, which costs extra and may not be available in areas where flooding is common.
Step 5: Water Cleanup and Setup Process
The next crucial step involves your mitigation company preparing your home for the water mitigation equipment. The setup process is vital because they cannot effectively deploy their equipment to remove the water and evaluate the extent of the damage until this step is completed.
Sadly, this may involve removing drywall, baseboards, flooring, and even portions of the ceiling if the leak was upstairs.
It's important not to be overly alarmed by this process. Water mitigation technicians are well-trained to initially assess water damage from the outside and minimize the need for extensive removal of parts of your home to address the water issue. Their expertise is geared toward both efficiency and minimizing disruption to your property.
In certain situations, strategically removing drywall from a specific wall can grant technicians access to the damp areas and reduce the necessity of removing multiple walls. This approach is part of their efforts to optimize the mitigation process and limit the extent of structural removal.
6. Water Cleanup Equipment Setup
Now, that they’ve prepared the area, they can begin setting up cleanup equipment. The equipment needed depends on the amount of water damage and may include some impressive devices like:
Industrial Dehumidifiers – Unlike home dehumidifiers, these are designed to eliminate significant water in a shorter period of time. Dehumidifiers vary in size and how quickly they can eliminate moisture based on room size and how wet things are. Proper Dehumidifier size is critical to the water cleanup because if a dehumidifier is too big, it can unintentionally suck moisture out of solid surfaces like the ceiling or wood floor. This would make them crumble. Then, of course, if it’s too small, it takes too long to do the job, allowing opportunistic mold to take hold.
Desiccant Dehumidifier – An industrial dehumidifier that works in extra wet places like a flooded basement
Air scrubbers – A filtering device that attaches to your air conditioner’s ductwork. It removes moisture while filtering out contaminants like mold spores, mildew as well as years of unrelated buildup like pet dander, dust, allergens, pollen, etc. A water mitigation company also uses these devices to remove debris from the air created during drywall demolition, which may include asbestos.
High-velocity air dryers and air movers – These dryers remove moisture from places they might try to hide like under your kitchen cabinets. Once that moisture is out of these tight spaces, the industrial humidifiers can get rid of it.
Thermal imaging camera – Lets a tech see if something is wet or dry based on how it holds or releases heat. Techs aim the device at surfaces around the home to assess if the water dry out is working and how it’s progressing.
Non-invasive moisture meter – As mentioned above, every solid material naturally has moisture in it, and you don’t want to overdry it. This device assesses the precise moisture level in various surfaces, so your granite countertops get to the right moisture level, and so does your drywall.
Invasive meter – This meter checks the core moisture of materials that you can penetrate like wood beams.
Atmospheric readers – This device checks temperature and relative humidity in different areas to assess parts of a home that need more attention.
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