Hopefully you have never walked into your house after a long day at work to find a couple of inches of standing water from a toilet supply line or icemaker line malfunction. If you have you know that simply sucking up the water is not going to get rid of all your problems!
Anytime you have a leak you should call trained professionals. They have the knowledge and the know how to put your home back into pre-loss condition. Removing the standing water is just the first of many steps to make sure your loss is properly mitigated (or dried out). In mitigating a loss, the first step, after discovering the source of the water and ending the problem, is to draw a moisture map to help determine how far the water has gone and what is going to need to be done to dry the structure so there are no lingering affects such as smells or microbial growth.
Any carpet or pad that was affected needs to have the water extracted, then the carpet needs to be pulled up, and the pad removed. Sometimes the carpet can be salvaged, but often it can not.
Any baseboard that is on any hard surface, such as tile, needs to be removed so that the drywall and sill plates (framing) behind them are able to be accessed and dried.
In drawing a moisture map it is extremely important to discover and address any empty cavities that could have standing water in them. Some examples of these are underneath cabinets or vanities, bathtubs, or HVAC units. A certain amount of demolition may have to take place in order to access the empty cavities, or if a large amount of water was present it is possible that wicking occurred and exterior walls or walls with insulation in them could be wet. These things must also be taken into consideration and addressed accordingly.
After the demolition is complete and as much water has been removed from the structure as possible it is time to start drying. The drying process can take 2-4 days, possibly more in extreme situations. In order to dry the structure properly air movers and dehumidifiers are set. The air movers are high powered fans that move air across the affected surface and cause friction which turns bound moisture into a gas which escapes into the air. The dehumidifiers suck that gas from the air, condenses it to turn it back into liquid form, then that liquid is drained out through a hose.
It is important to keep in mind that moisture readings must be taken, using specialized equipment, everyday to ensure that optimal drying is taking place. These readings are taken from affected materials and are based on a point system. The goal is to bring down the moisture levels of affected materials to between 8-12%. Psychometric readings are also taken.
Psychometrics is the temperature, relative humidity, and grains per pound of moisture in the air. These readings are important because they help the technician in regulating how efficiently the structure is going to dry.
It takes brawn to perform demolition after a water damage, but it takes brains to dry a structure. That is why our technicians are trained and carry certifications from the IICRC ( Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certificate) for the various types of damages that we
respond to.