When a surge of water invades your home from outside or within, your first thought shouldn’t linger on something irrelevant like what you should have for lunch the next day, instead, your first thought should go towards your safety and the safety of those with you.
Those who are not as knowledgeable about water damage Dallas tend to underestimate it. Every case should be handled with caution and with safety in mind, from the smallest cases such as minor leaks and spills, to the bigger cases like floods and sewage leaks.
For your protection here are five water damage safety tips to remember when you’re experiencing a water damage emergency:
1. Identify your water damage emergency
It is good to know what exactly is going on so you can decide the correct course of action. It is also good to know whether it is an emergency and if it is how much of an emergency.
Identifying the problem is all about control. You need to decide how much of it is controllable. Control is important to your safety, just like driving a car, the more you have control over it, the more you and your passengers are safe.
If it is a big emergency and you cannot control it, call or seek help immediately. Once the problem has been identified you can proceed to the next course of action.
2. Stop water damage
Coincidentally our second tip is what you should do after you have identified the problem. If it is completely uncontrollable then be smart, call for help and wait for those that can control it.
Controlling the problem doesn’t always mean fixing it, it means to stop it from increasing the damage. This can be really important especially if you have a leak within your home that is causing a lot of water to be released.
The best way to be in control is to shut off the appropriate water valve. If it is leaking from the ceiling or a window, use items to collect or keep water from coming in and that won’t soak through such as buckets and plastic tarps.
Another way you can be in control is by removing valuable items from the area or lifting them so they aren’t in contact. Books, papers, magazines etc. can also cause a problem because the ink could stain items or carpet in your home.
There are some cases where much can be instantly damaged beyond restoration and that can cause a lot of damage, such as sewage leaks. In the case of sewage leaks, it is highly advised you not attempt to come into contact anywhere near the sewage, for your safety.
Water damage in your home? We can help! Give us a call now (214) 643-8844 for a completely free estimate.
3. Cease use of appliances
Another tip that we have is to stop using appliances especially if they are near an affected area, are wet, or are plugged into an outlet that is affected by or nearly affected by water. If concerned about water coming into contact with an outlet or an appliance you can try shutting off parts of the electricity at the distribution panel. Do not attempt to place an appliance in or near water for whatever purpose. If you see a ceiling dripping or that is wet, do not turn on any light or fan fixtures or other types of ceiling appliances
4. Financial safety
Water causes damage to your home and belongings, luckily with insurance, you can have things restored or replaced, but in order for you to have accurate estimates and compensation it is important to document what happened and the scope of the damage for restoration companies and for your insurance inspector/adjuster.
You want things compensated for and repaired, but if they accounted for then they could possibly remain unfixed.
5. Call a water damage professional
This is the most important water damage safety tip. Regardless of the level of emergency, you should always have a water damage professional check it out. You never know if there is underlying (sometimes literally) water damage that you cannot see. Sometimes when water is removed, it may appear dry but there could be trapped moisture that could continue to damage you home or cause mold growth. Let professionals like us at Regent Restoration handle your water damage situation.
If you have experienced water damage in your home, don’t wait for another problem to arise, call Regent Restoration today!
We give free estimates, full visual inspection and we’re open 24/7. Call us today to make sure you, your home and your family are protected. ((214) 643-8844
Water Damage Safety Tips Recap:
- Identify If It’s a water damage emergency
- Stop the water if you can
- Don’t use any electrical appliances
- Consider your financial safety
- Call a water damage professional ASAP