COMMON WATER DAMAGE MISTAKES TO AVOID
HI AGAIN EVERYBODY, CHRIS TOWN HERE, OWNER OF TOWN CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT AND HERE WITH SOME GREAT HOME WATER DAMAGE TIPS FOR YOU.
Water is a fickle thing. Tamed, it makes for the basis of modern living. It improves our health, looks, and the overall quality of our lives. Given free reign, though, it becomes the exact opposite; a destructive force that can jeopardize every aspect of your life. A burst pipe can ruin your belongings, leading to significant financial loss, not to mention emotional pain. Even seemingly innocent things, like a dripping faucet, for instance, can turn into a potential health hazard. Overall, water damage is nothing to be taken lightly. That’s why, today, Town Construction and Development decided to focus on this problem. Let’s see what common water damage mistakes to avoid are, so you can make your life a little easier and a lot safer.
FAILING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM ASAP
The after-effect of water damage can be devastating, both to your material possessions and your psyche. Seeing something you worked hard for ruined beyond repair is highly stressful. It is both infuriating and heartbreaking, and that’s perfectly normal. However, the mistake here is the approach in the aftermath of a crisis. Most people either:
- Try to salvage what can be salvaged, thus ignoring the problem, or;
- Try to address the problem, but doing it superficially.
Needless to say, both of these options are less than ideal. Furthermore, both are time-wasters, and the longer you wait, the more complications can rear their ugly head. This is why it’s imperative to address the problem analytically and immediately. Therefore, the best thing you can do is calm down, take a deep breath, and call the professionals. This brings us to one of the most common water damage mistakes to avoid.
TRYING TO FIX THE PROBLEM DIY-STYLE
Unless you’re a contractor with years of experience or a professional for water damage sanitation, it’s ill-advised to try and handle the problem on your own. In fact, a DIY escapade can bring more harm than good. There are several reasons for this, and each one is a mistake on its own.
NOT GETTING TO THE CORE OF THE PROBLEM
You can manage to sanitize the issue DIY style. No one disputes that fact. However, even if you do so, it is but a temporary solution. The core issue remains, and that is: What caused the problem in the first place? Is it old and rusty pipes? A clog or a dirt buildup, perhaps? Is the entire piping system inadequate for your home or your needs? For that matter, how can you be sure it won’t happen again?
Questions like these only pile-up. Furthermore, each one begs even more questions. It’s a never-ending loop, one that only someone with ample training, experience, and skills can break. Therefore, don’t hesitate to contact the professionals. They will get to the core of the problem and ensure the risk of water damage occurring again is minimal.
USING INADEQUATE EQUIPMENT
Handling water damage requires a whole plethora of specialized tools. Things like:
- Water pumps to efficiently extract water and prevent further buildup;
- Dehumidifiers that can remove excess moisture from floors, walls, and furniture;
- Deodorizers that neutralize the smells which, inevitably, linger after water damage.
And, these are only the “big hitters”. Professionals wield a wide variety of specialized tools. Combined with their expertise, these make water damage sanitation seem like a walk in the park. Now, there are commercial variants of these tools. They are cheap, accessible, and not nearly efficient enough. For instance, you can buy a deodorizer online for $100 – $200 or so. But, compared to the industrial one, it will do as good a job as a scented candle.
USING IMPROPER, CHEAP, OR INADEQUATE MATERIALS
This is a common water damage mistake to avoid at all costs. In this case – quite literally. Dealing with the aftermath of water damage isn’t cheap. Thus, you will be looking left and right to cut the cost and avoid needless expenses. However, saving on materials is the absolute worst thing to do. Doing this only patches up the problem and doesn’t solve it. In fact, this way, you’re increasing the chance of catastrophe happening again. So, choose the best materials you can afford without breaking your budget. And yes – it is a significant expense. However, quality materials will go a long way to prevent disaster from striking. Also, consider that quality materials can last for decades. In the long run, they’ll pay for themselves many times over.
STAYING HOME WHILE SANITATION AND RENOVATION IS IN PROGRESS
Sanitation of water damage and home renovation go hand-in-hand. The former is there to ensure the integrity of the plumbing system and prevent further problems. The latter is necessary to make your home liveable again. However, both of these undertakings take time. In the best-case scenario, they take a few weeks. The worst – up to a few months.
During this time, your home will be an inhospitable place. Barely livable, even. And we’re not talking hustle of work in progress only. Having workers in your home, tools and materials lying around, and constant noise can be disruptive. However, they fade in comparison to health issues you may suffer in the wake of water damage.
Therefore, the best course of action you can take is to move out of your house temporarily, at least until the sanitation is over. Granted, this is an additional challenge. But, if you ask family and friends or, even better, professional movers for assistance with transferring and storing your items, you’ll go through it without too much hustle. And sleeping anywhere else beats sleeping in a moldy and smelly house, for sure.
DON’T HESITATE TO TURN TO PROFESSIONALS FOR HELP
Risking making these common water damage mistakes is never worth it. However, dealing with the fallout can often leave you blind to even notice them. It’s an emotional time, and human nature dictates to fight the consequences by any means necessary. But that’s the thing – you don’t have to do it alone. You shouldn’t do it alone. So, don’t hesitate to contact your water damage specialists with questions. Professionals are there for a reason. They will help you with advice and guidance, which will make enduring the crisis much more manageable.
“Be good to your house and your house will be good to you:
All solutions for home living have some advantages and disadvantages…“There are no perfect solutions out there, only the ones that are perfect and work for you.”
Chris Town
