SERVPRO® Commitment to Student-Athletes and Community Sports

12/8/2024 (Permalink)

Spotlighting Student-Athletes: SERVPRO's Role in Fostering Youth Achievement

The SERVPRO Spotlight page showcases SERVPRO’s dedication to supporting youth sports and education through its partnership with the CIAC. This collaboration highlights SERVPRO’s role in maintaining safe and clean environments for athletic events, ensuring a positive experience for players and spectators alike. Central to the page is the "Student-Athlete Spotlight of the Week," which honors outstanding student-athletes for their achievements in academics, sports, and leadership. These features celebrate the dedication, resilience, and teamwork of young athletes, inspiring others in the community to strive for excellence.

Through the Student-Athlete Spotlight, SERVPRO demonstrates its commitment to fostering both personal and athletic growth. The stories of these student-athletes exemplify how sports can shape character, instill values, and build stronger communities. By investing in youth sports and education, SERVPRO strengthens its bond with local schools and communities, furthering its mission of being “Faster to any size disaster” both on and off the field.

For an in-depth look at SERVPRO’s impact and to read inspiring stories about these exceptional student-athletes, visit the SERVPRO Spotlight page.

Water Damage Repair and Restoration in West Hartford, CT

10/10/2024 (Permalink)

Water damage can wreak havoc on your property, turning your comfortable home or business into a chaotic scene. Whether it's a burst pipe, severe weather, or hidden moisture, the consequences can be devastating if not addressed promptly and professionally. In West Hartford, CT, SERVPRO® offers comprehensive water damage restoration services to help you recover from disasters and restore normalcy.

Understanding Water Damage

Common Causes of Water Damage

• Leaking or burst pipes: Often due to aging infrastructure, cold weather, or pressure fluctuations.
• Appliance malfunctions: Items like water heaters, washing machines, and dishwashers.
• Severe weather and flooding: Heavy rains, snowmelt, and storms.
• Sewage backups: Blockages leading to potential health hazards.
• Hidden moisture: In areas like basements, attics, and walls, leading to mold growth.

The Impact of Water Damage

Failure to address water damage promptly can lead to:

• Structural damage: Weakening of floors, walls, and ceilings.
• Mold growth: Posing health risks and further property damage.
• Electrical issues: Increased risk of fire hazards and short circuits.
• Health risks: From mold and mildew, particularly for those with allergies or respiratory issues.
• Decreased property value: Making it harder to sell or rent your property in the future.

Why Choose SERVPRO for Water Damage Restoration?

Comprehensive Water Damage Restoration Services

SERVPRO of West Hartford offers a full suite of water damage restoration services designed to meet your specific needs:

1. Emergency Response: Our team is available 24/7 to respond quickly to your emergency.
2. Damage Assessment: We conduct a thorough inspection to understand the extent and source of the damage.
3. Water Removal: Using powerful pumps and vacuums to remove water from your premises.
4. Drying and Dehumidification: Ensuring no moisture is left behind using advanced drying equipment.
5. Cleaning and Sanitizing: Using EPA-approved disinfectants to eliminate bacteria.
6. Restoration and Repairs: From minor repairs to major reconstruction, we restore your property to its original condition.

Experienced and Certified Professionals

Our technicians are IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification) certified, ensuring they are equipped with the latest knowledge and skills in water damage restorations. Our team is trained to handle any situation with professionalism and efficiency.

State-of-the-Art Equipment

SERVPRO utilizes the latest technology to detect hidden moisture, extract standing water, and thoroughly clean and dry your property. Our cutting-edge equipment ensures the restoration process is performed swiftly and effectively, minimizing disruption to your life.

The SERVPRO Process: Efficient and Effective Solutions

Step 1: Immediate Response

The moment you contact SERVPRO of West Hartford, our priority is to respond quickly to minimize the damage. Our emergency line is open 24/7, ensuring help is always just a phone call away.

Step 2: Detailed Inspection and Damage Assessment

Once on-site, our team conducts a comprehensive assessment to determine the extent of the damage and craft a tailored response plan. We check for:

• Source of water: Identifying and stopping the source to prevent further damage.
• Water contamination level: Classifying water based on contamination levels (clean, gray, or black water).
• Extent of damage: Using moisture detectors, hygrometers, and infrared cameras to find hidden moisture.

Step 3: Water Removal (Extraction)

Using powerful pumps and industrial-grade wet/dry vacuums, we swiftly remove all standing water from your property. This process is crucial to prevent further damage and speed up the drying process.

Step 4: Drying and Dehumidification

After water removal, we use air movers and dehumidifiers to dry out affected areas thoroughly. This step is vital to ensure that hidden moisture pockets are eliminated, preventing mold growth and lingering odors.

Step 5: Cleaning and Sanitizing

SERVPRO understands the health risks associated with water damage. We use anti-microbial treatments and air scrubbers to clean, sanitize, and deodorize your property, ensuring it is safe for occupancy.

Step 6: Restoration and Rebuild

Our goal is to restore your property to its pre-water damage condition. This may involve minor repairs like replacing drywall and installing new carpeting, or major reconstruction efforts. No job is too big or small. Our skilled technicians provide top-notch restoration services, ensuring your peace of mind.

Step 7: Final Inspection

Before we consider the job complete, a final walkthrough is conducted to ensure all areas are dry, clean, and safe. We also provide detailed documentation for insurance claims, helping you navigate the process smoothly.

Preventive Measures: Protecting Your Property

To safeguard your home or business from future water damage, consider these preventive tips:

• Regular maintenance: Inspect and repair roof, gutters, and downspouts regularly.
• Appliance upkeep: Ensure appliances are in good working order.
• Know your water shut-off: Quickly locate and turn off your water main if necessary.
• Seal windows and doors: Ensure watertight seals to prevent leaks.
• Install a sump pump: Especially useful for properties prone to flooding.

Contact SERVPRO of West Hartford Today!

When water damage strikes, act fast and reach out to SERVPRO of West Hartford for top-tier water damage restoration services. Our experienced team is committed to restoring your property with efficiency and care, ensuring your home or business is safe, dry, and restored to its original condition.

The Most Common Water Removal Needs for West Hartford Homes

5/8/2024 (Permalink)

SERVPRO can place numerous centrifugal air movers to mitigate the water damage in your West Hartford home. "Like it never even happened."

SERVPRO® Has Several Water Removal Options

Water damage can occur from dozens of sources, creating unique restoration obstacles for every residence. Our fast response to emergencies can get mitigation started immediately, including needed water removal approaches.

Addressing Physical Standing Water

When water removal for West Hartford homes is discussed, many property owners immediately consider the extraction of pooling water after emergencies like burst pipes or flooding. Surface water removal uses pumps and vacuums to manage standing liquid that could absorb into building materials without swift action.

Trapped Water in Building Materials

Water can be absorbed into building materials and threaten the rest of the property. Saturated construction elements can sag and collapse or, in other cases, allow mold damage to form and spread. Air movers directed at these wet surfaces can help to manage damp elements and prevent permanent structural damage through evaporation.

Moisture Content in the Air

Moisture in the environment must also be a focal point of the extraction processes. Management of water molecules saturating the air combines drying practices with processes like condensation, absorption, and extraction. Some of the tools necessary for this process include:

• Portable heaters
• Desiccant dehumidifiers
• Refrigerant dehumidifiers
• Air movers

The Impact on Contents

Contents are often one of the most heavily damaged elements of the property. While restoring and cleaning the structure remains a priority, removing water from contents can also be a focus. We can achieve these goals through several direct strategies starting with relocation. SERVPRO can move lightly impacted contents to a new area of the house to expedite drying.

From mitigation to restoration, removing the most amount of water from damaged areas of your home is a common objective after disasters. Our SERVPRO of West Hartford team has several strategies for accomplishing this, beginning as soon as we arrive. Give us a call now at (860) 206-6141.

House Fires - More Common Than You Think

5/8/2024 (Permalink)

A beautiful house on North Main St in West Hartford was severely damaged by a house fire.

According to Red Cross, 40 percent of people living in America believe that they are more likely to win the lottery or get struck by lightning than they are to experience a house fire. Unfortunately, the Red Cross reports that more than $7 BILLION in property damage occurs from home fires every year and more than 30 people suffer injuries related to house fires every single day.  At SERVPRO of West Hartford, we know the aftermath can cause damage throughout the entire home, both seen and unseen. Often times even the rooms that were not directly affected by the flames of the fire can sustain extreme damage. Intense heat can melt plastic, stress glass panes to the point of shattering, clothes and fabric furniture can absorb the soot and smoke, and equipment may no longer be safe because of a compromised electrical system.

SERVPRO of West Hartford has seen it all; a small kitchen fire, an electrical fire, a dryer fire, a fireplace or chimney fire, or even a puff back  - when the oil burner backfires and fills your home with soot and smoke. Almost 100% of the times, these events are sudden, unexpected, and traumatic.

As soon as the fire department has given you the all clear to reenter your home, it is understandable if you don’t know where to begin. Call SERVPRO of West Hartford IMMEDIATELY. As you’re reading this, take a moment and save our phone number in your phone because you can’t be too prepared. 860-206-6141 is our direct office line and our phones are running 24/7. No matter the time, we can have a priority responder to you within an hour of your call. We are a trusted, experienced, and unbiased restoration company with highly trained, dedicated, and sensitive crews who can get to work immediately. We’ll walk you through the process of fire damage restoration as if we’ve been doing this for years because, well, we have.

Disasters can happen. When they do, call the team who is ready to help. SERVPRO of West Hartford is here for you.

We Make Your Insurance Claims Easier

5/8/2024 (Permalink)

SERVPRO technicians working with a customer

A water, fire, storm, mold, biohazard or other disaster can severely disrupt your everyday life or business operations, but SERVPRO of West Hartford makes recovery easier by handling as many of the details of the remediation process as possible. Consider us your one-stop disaster cleanup experts. With our experience, capabilities, quality staffing and all the right equipment, we do it all, from beginning to end.

You can rely on SERVPRO of West Hartford to:

• send a team to your home or business A.S.A.P. to evaluate your damage and create a recovery plan
• act fast to stop the damage in its tracks
• detail, photograph and pack your possessions for cleaning or storage
• thoroughly clean each item and store it in our clean, organized and secure facility in clearly-labeled QR-coded containers
• remove the damaged material from your home or business
• clean up water, mold, soot, odor and other hazards
• perform repairs or reconstruction
• return your possessions and restore your home or business back to the point before the disaster occurred

Easier and Faster Insurance Claims

SERVPRO of West Hartford makes your disaster recovery process easier by streamlining your insurance claim. We thoroughly document the damage to your home or business, as well as the condition of each item we remove for cleaning or storage on a spreadsheet with photos. This helps us instantly track the location and status of all your possessions—and provides documentation for your insurance claim. Working directly with your insurer, our expert staff also communicates closely with you. We can even handle the paperwork to make sure the processing and payment of your claim is as smooth and swift as possible.

We stay current with the latest insurance trends, rules and technologies, and we maintain affiliations with the New England Claims Executive Association and the Risk & Insurance Management Society. Many insurance companies have found us to be so professional to work with that they recommend us to their clients—we make their job easier, too!

If you’ve suffered a disaster in your home, the last thing you need is to struggle with an intricate insurance claims process. With our stress-free management of your claims, SERVPRO of West Hartford will get your life back to normal as soon as possible!

When you have suffered a disaster at your home or business, call SERVPRO of West Hartford today at 860-206-6141

Help Is Here

The team at SERVPRO of West Hartford has specialized training and experience in water damage restoration services, biohazard cleanup, fire and smoke damage restoration services and natural disaster prevention and cleanup. Call SERVPRO of West Hartford (860-206-6141) any time, night or day.

Water Damage Restoration at NBC Headquarters in West Hartford

1/6/2023 (Permalink)

Water damage restoration at NBC News in West Hartford

SERVPRO of West Hartford restored the NBC CT headquarters in West Hartford back to its original condition after an unfortunate water damage incident during last month's storm.

Our trained technicians are always up to the task and capable of handling water damage restoration jobs of any size.

Check out our video on Facebook.

How to Avoid Water Damage During Frozen Pipe Season

12/14/2022 (Permalink)

A frozen pipe often means a burst pipe, and that means lots of water damage to your home or business. Prevent it by following our tips.

Wintertime, and the pipes are freezing! That’s not music to any homeowner’s ears: a frozen and burst pipe can do astounding amounts of damage—and quickly—to a home, apartment, or business. This article gives you ways to avoid that kind of water disaster—and ways to recover fast if you do end up with a frozen and burst pipe.

The most common cause of a burst pipe is freezing. (Other causes of a ruptured pipe include rust, improper installation and physical damage to the pipe.) When water freezes, it expands in volume by about 9 percent, and the pressure inside pipes may shoot from 40 psi to 40,000 psi, causing the pipe to break open. The rupture usually occurs where water pressure finds a weak spot in the pipe, which may or may not be at the spot where it froze. And then the trouble starts: water seeps or even gushes out into your home or office. Sometimes this happens out in the open, but often it occurs behind walls or ceilings, or in an attic or basement.

Lots of damage can occur without you even knowing it. In fact, up to 250 gallons of water can flow from your ruptured pipe in just 24 hours. The second-most common insurance claim filed in the U.S., an average residential water damage claim is $10,000–15,000, and total cleanup costs can be $5,000–70,000.

The best way to avoid that kind of disaster is to keep your pipes from freezing. Logically, that means keeping your pipes too warm to freeze. Luckily, there’s a lot you can do before, during and after the temperature drops to prevent a frozen pipe in your home.

Before a Freeze

Start getting your pipes ready to handle the cold before the temperature drops. Start with an inventory of your pipes. Look for:

• Exposed pipes in unheated areas of your house. Check your basement, attic, garage, crawl space and under bathroom and kitchen sinks.
• Pipes that show wear or damage.
• Un-insulated areas of the house.

Once you’ve identified vulnerable pipes or chilly areas, get to work:

Protect your pipes

• Wearing protective gear, install un-faced fiberglass insulation around poorly-protected pipes in the attic, crawl space or other out-of-the-way place. Don’t worry about being neat, just get those pipes wrapped.
• Install a heat trace cable to keep cold pipes from freezing. Some heat tapes are wrapped around the pipe, while others run along the length of the pipe. Look for ready-to-use cable, with one end terminated and insulated and the other end equipped with an electrical plug.

Keep the cold out

• To insulate a big area, use foam board. Faced or un-faced foam board will work, especially if this is temporary. Install it by scoring, snapping and screwing the foam board to your wood framing.
• Using rigid foam insulation, close and seal all foundation vents that are near water pipes, and insulate foundation walls and the ends of the floor joists.
• Caulk and seal around doors, windows, house faucets and outside outlets.
• If you own an older house built over an un-insulated crawlspace, turn up your thermostat to warm up the crawlspace. (And put “insulate and air-seal crawlspace” on your to-do list!)
• Turn off the water valves to outdoor faucets, keeping the outside valve open to let any remaining water escape

If you will be away from home

If you will be away from your home at all during a cold snap, take a few steps that could mean the difference between returning to a warm, dry house and returning to a water disaster.

• Set your thermostat to 55° F to conserve energy while providing a margin of safety against frozen plumbing.
• Close the valve to the house's main water supply.
• Give a trusted neighbor a key to the house and your contact information. Request that he take a quick look inside once a week.
• If your house is heated with propane or fuel oil, be sure that your fuel supplier has contact information for you and your neighbor.
• Install or subscribe to a freeze-sensing system to monitor your home's internal temperature using a phone or the internet.

During a Freeze

Now that you know which pipes are at risk, take some or all of these steps when the temperature plunges.

• Open the doors to cabinets, vanities, closets and pantries to allow room air to warm the pipes.
• Turn faucets on to allow a trickle of water to flow through the pipes.
• Set up fans to blow heat into cold rooms or your crawl space.
• Keep the garage door closed if there are water supply lines there.
• Place a lamp with a 60-watt bulb in a potential problem area to warm the walls and pipes. (Make sure there are no combustible materials near the bulb.)
• Heat the most vulnerable pipes (usually in basements and crawl spaces or near exterior walls) with a hair dryer. Leave the faucet on while you apply heat.
• If your water pipes are freezing inside an exterior wall, cut an opening in the wall to expose the pipes to the home's warm air. Place fiberglass insulation around the pipes and against the exterior wall. (The hole in the wall can be covered later with a hinged door or panel that can be removed during future cold spells.)

After a Freeze

When the freeze is over, your work is still not done. Now is the time to do another survey of your vulnerable pipes to see if there has been any damage.

• Visually inspect any exposed plumbing in your attic, basement, garage or crawl space.
• Even if your pipes didn't noticeably freeze, or if they thawed out without bursting, they may have developed pinhole leaks. Run your fingers over the seams and joints to check for hard-to-spot leaks.
• Do the same inspection of your pipes under sinks, too.

Throughout the rest of your home and property, pay attention to other clues that may indicate a leak:

• Dripping, bubbling, whistling or sounds of water rushing in pipes or behind walls.
• Odd or unpleasant odors from drains, sinks or other areas of your house.
• Bulging and discoloration or water marks on walls and ceiling.
• Discolored water coming from your faucets.
• A decrease in water pressure when you wash your hands, fill your sink or take a shower.
• No water at all coming out of a faucet or a toilet that doesn’t refill after flushing.
• Drips, puddles or gushing water.
• Unexplained water or sinkholes in your yard.

If you find a problem or notice a drop in water pressure, turn off the water and call a plumber for help.

If You Found a Frozen Pipe

You’ve done your detective work, and you discovered a frozen pipe. Because it’s still frozen, there’s no water leaking … yet. Fortunately, you can still take measures to prevent or minimize water damage.

• Shut off the water at the main valve or the meter in case the pipe does burst. Then, open up all the taps in your house to relieve any pressure building up inside the lines.
• Thaw the ice blockage by warming the connecting pipe. Using a hair dryer, start at the faucet or fixture and work your way back.

When the pipe is thawed, you’ll need to find out if it has burst somewhere along its length.

• Turn the water on and recruit a friend or two to help spot any leaks. Station your friend in an unheated area of your home, like your attic or crawlspace, to look and listen for leaks as you turn the water back on.
• If a pipe has burst, you'll immediately notice a rushing sound in the walls or a flood of water. Shut off the water to your house immediately.
• If you identify no apparent leaks, check each of your faucets in turn. If you notice low water pressure at a particular fixture, you may have a slow leak in that line.

If You Found a Leak

You’ve located water leaking from a pipe, so now’s the time to act fast.

• First, shut off the main water valve to your home. Open a faucet after you shut off the water main to relieve any remaining pressure in the pipes.
• Depending on where the leak is and how substantial it is, shut off the electricity to your home, too, to prevent shocks.
• Clean up any standing water to prevent slipping and falling, reduce the chances of water damage to your home and furnishings, and minimize the odds of mold growth.
• If the burst pipe is overhead, drain ceiling cavities by punching or drilling “weep” holes.

Immediately after a freeze, getting a plumber to your home can be challenging, so you’ll want to slow or stop that leak as soon as you can. (Or call an experienced water disaster recovery company, like SERVPRO of West Hartford, that has the resources and expertise to get to your home fast, stop the leak and begin cleanup.)

• For a pinhole leak, wrap duct tape around the pipe; this will often provide enough pressure to seal the leak until help arrives.
• If duct tape doesn’t stop the leak, make a patch out of a piece of flexible rubber (such as an old radiator or heater hose), place it over the leak, lay a small block of wood over the patch and clamp it in place using a C-clamp.
• An even better option, especially for larger leaks, is a sleeve clamp, which consists of a circular clamp lined with rubbery material that makes a waterproof sleeve for the pipe. (Note: you’ll have to buy a clamp sized to your specific pipe.)

Dry Your House Out

Once you or your plumber has stopped the flow of water and you’ve done basic cleanup, you need to dry out your home. An experienced water disaster remediation company like SERVPRO of West Hartford can do all the work and restore your home and property to their before-disaster condition.

Your goal is to prevent mold growth. Although it takes a few days to appear, mold thrives on wood, paper and particle board, so it’s essential to dry everything out before you rebuild. IICRC-certified professionals, like SERVPRO, use a variety of precise instruments to measure when a building is dry.

If you choose to do the work yourself, follow these tips.

• Remove pools and puddles of water with a wet/dry vacuum. For hard-to-reach places, use a mop to soak up the water.
• Open windows and use several fans to circulate the air and send moisture out the windows.
• If you have dehumidifiers, turn on one or several and close the windows.
• Or if you have a HVAC system, use that to dehumidify your home. Start by setting the air conditioning to cool your house and pull out humidity. Then, when your home has cooled, turn the heat on until it reaches 80 degrees, which will saturate the air with moisture. Once 80 degrees has been reached, turn the air conditioner back on to remove the moisture from the house. Repeat this process until the house has dried.
• Remove water from wet furniture by taking it outside to dry in the sun or placing it in a closed room and running a dehumidifier.
• If your indoor carpeting is saturated (unless it’s a thin covering over a bare wood floor), you must remove and replace it, as well as its padding, to keep mold and mildew from forming.

If your home or business suffers a flood, call SERVPRO of West Hartford today at 860.206.6141 for immediate water damage cleanup and restoration of your structure and property

We’re Here for You

The team at SERVPRO of West Hartford has specialized training and experience in water damage remediation, fire restoration services, natural disaster prevention, chemical cleanup, and natural disaster cleanup. Call SERVPRO of West Hartford (860.206.6141) any time.

SERVPRO of West Hartford
100 Peters Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002
IICRC Certified
Noemi Garcia
Certified SERVPRO technicians
Call 860.206.6141
24-hour emergency service

If your home or business suffers a flood, call SERVPRO of West Hartford today at 860.206.6141 for immediate water damage cleanup and restoration of your structure and property

West Hartford Fire Damage Occurs In Many Ways

9/14/2022 (Permalink)

Smoke and odor removal are included with SERVPRO's fire damage restoration service for your West Hartford property.

What a Home Needs After Fire Damage

A fire can be dangerous for homeowners, from overloaded circuits to grease flare-ups in the kitchen. It can be difficult to picture how SERVPRO can restore such damage to its original condition.

West Hartford fire damage can happen swiftly and overwhelm homes and businesses. The destructive capacities of structure fires present pressing hazards and threats for responding technicians, making our swift response a necessary element of the services we provide. Our 24/7 availability allows us to begin mitigation as soon as possible.

What Does Fire Mitigation Mean?

Mitigation is one of the critical elements of the restoration process, as this encompasses all of the initial actions SERVPRO takes to protect the house. There are many priorities in the early stages of recovery. We seek to provide several beneficial outcomes:

• Less Fire Debris – Clearing heaps of ash, soot, and other remnant debris is one of the initial steps to improve conditions after fire damage.
• Better Air Quality – Post-fire conditions are volatile and overwhelming. With circulating soot and carcinogenic particles, air quality improvement is a priority.
• Removed Hazardous Materials – Destroyed bulk materials, charred remnants of building elements, and weakened structural supports can require removal to protect workers and house occupants.
• Reduced Malodors – Smells are a common byproduct of fires, but it is important through cleaning and filtration to reduce the severity of these malodors.
• Protected Contents – Through relocation or on-site cleaning, we work to protect the items that matter most to our customers. 

The Advantage of Controlled Demolition

Many do not understand the demolition process and why it is vital after fire damage incidents. Initial property inspections can often show structural compromise throughout the building. To prevent this from getting worse and more materials becoming impacted and affected, our SERVPRO team uses our general contractor license and experience to carefully and confidently remove ruined construction elements. By removing damaged materials, we can more accurately inspect the rest of the property and prepare the residence for reconstruction to follow after cleanup.

Removing Soot After Extinguishment

Soot is one of the more widespread and visibly concerning products of a housefire. As challenging as this might appear, our technicians come equipped with many products and tools to lift soils and remove them from supporting substrates. A careful evaluation of the condition of hosting materials starts this process. We work through several strategies like surface cleaning, soda/media blasting, and even controlled demolition to overcome the present fire damage.

Post-Fire Smells

Malodors are a common byproduct of combustion but can be a challenge to overcome and remove without advanced tools and potent deodorizing products. Our professionals' early cleaning actions can help reduce the severity of these smells, though this will not remove the smoke scent entirely from the property. Neutralization often must include tools in our inventory like ULV or thermal foggers, hydroxyl machines, and more aggressive deodorizing methods.

When Should Repairs Take Place?

Many restoration companies ask customers to pursue vetting and securing a general contractor for any repairs and reconstruction needed on the property after restoration. This process could continue for weeks or more, and you still might not get the price you want or the timeline you hope. Our SERVPRO team has a general contractor license allowing us to transition from restoration to reconstruction quickly.

West Hartford fire damage is always stressful and can be a traumatic experience for homeowners. Our SERVPRO of West Hartford team understands how important it is to get you back to normal life, so we work around the clock on restoration and repairs needed. Give us a call when disasters strike at (860) 206-6141.

Constant Principles of Fast West Hartford Water Damage Cleanup

9/14/2022 (Permalink)

Water damage cleanup and drying in West Hartford --no problem with SERVPRO's advanced extraction and drying equipment. "Like it never even happened."

SERVPRO Quickly Manages Water Damage

Water emergencies encompass most of the service calls our restoration firm receives throughout the year. Because we expect a higher volume of these work orders over other services we provide, we can confidently keep production vehicles and service trucks stocked with tools and equipment to help manage threats like:

• Burst Pipes
• Spills
• Broken Appliances
• Leaks
• Flooding

It is urgent to rapidly address West Hartford water damage, whether it is a residential or commercial threat. With the size of our restoration team and our experience, we are equipped to handle these emergencies of all sizes, responding quickly to get mitigation and emergency services started when necessary.

Why Mitigation Should Start Fast

With water damage, it is important for mitigation and emergency services to start as soon as possible. Wet environments do not improve independently, mainly when structural damage occurs. We must prioritize several mitigative steps when our team first arrives. Water removal, content management, and mold prevention are often at the top of this list.

Getting Air Moving in the Work Zone

Airflow is among the most critical elements to effective and efficient drying from our SERVPRO team. Without circulation and direct blasts of air, evaporation occurs slower, and impacted materials are more likely to suffer irreparable harm. Some of the tools or processes used to orchestrate controlled airflow include:

• Axial Air Movers – High-velocity air movers like our axial units blast at wall systems and ceilings with warm, continuous air to promote steady evaporation.
• Centrifugal Air Movers – Unlike axial units that impact a broader drying zone, centrifugal machines target a specific point on a wet surface to increase the evaporation at this designated position.
• Ventilation - While air movers push blasts of air at a particular point, ventilation systems pull wet air from the workspace and exhaust it safely outside to decrease humidity.

The Importance of Temperature

There are many advantages for SERVPRO professionals to manipulate the temperature of the workspace when contending with water damage. Warmer temperatures escalate many processes, making most of the restoration actions we provide a faster solution. Portable heaters can be positioned within the work areas to ensure that wet surfaces can be warmer and that these machines impact the full enclosed zone for drying. There are several advantages to increasing temperatures, such as:

• Less vapor barrier
• Faster drying
• Increased chemical reactions

Managing Moisture Content in the Environment

Another one of the drying principles relies on managing and reducing moisture content in the air. Humidity can be one of the contributors to threats like mold growth and can slow or even stop the drying process entirely when the relative humidity percentage reaches its peak. Regulating these conditions involves the application of dehumidification units throughout the property to absorb or collect moisture grains from the atmosphere. Sensors and detection equipment keep a continual watch on the progress and effectiveness of these instruments.

Do Water Damage Repairs Need to Happen?

The destructive capacities of water, especially when it is not immediately removed or dried, cannot be overstated. Moisture and dampness can destroy building materials and contents, leaving many homes needing repairs and reconstruction beyond the restoration work started. We have a general contractor license that can help in these efforts beyond early mitigation actions like controlled demolition to provide utility repair, build-back, and other needed restorative solutions.

West Hartford water damage can strike quickly and definitively compromise homes and businesses in the community. As dire as circumstances can be when emergencies occur, we have a rapid response team to ensure we get mitigation started right away. Give our SERVPRO of West Hartford professionals a call at (860) 206-6141.

Why You Should Act Fast with West Hartford Mold Damag

9/14/2022 (Permalink)

Call our AMRT technicians to remediate mold damage. Your West Harford, with SERVPRO's service, can again appear "Like it never even happened."

Understanding Mold Damage in Your West Hartford Home 

When moist conditions persist in your home, the result could be microbial growth and damage. Overlooking these effects could be costly, disruptive to your everyday life, and even hazardous. We work to help homeowners isolate problem areas and repair them during thorough remediation and removal.

Addressing West Hartford mold damage means mobilizing experienced professionals on our team to help. We understand how alarming these organisms can be to find in your house, so we thoroughly educate our roster to accommodate even Large Loss concerns that could affect area commercial structures. Through the IICRC, our SERVPRO team has numerous niche accreditations to help, including:

• AMRT – Applied Microbial Remediation
• WRT – Water Restoration
• ASD – Applied Structural Drying
• OCT – Odor Control

What Causes Mold?

Microbial growth occurs when specific environmental conditions are met to facilitate colonies. Not all areas of your home can support mold, but many can. Persistent moist areas of the property, such as the basement and the attic, are common sites to experience microbial growth. With limited traffic to these storage or utility areas, colonization might go unnoticed for extended periods and spread considerably.

Is Mold a Threat to Your Residence?

Finding mold in your home, or suspecting mold damage exists, is not often met with the urgency it should be. Developing microbial colonies can destroy hosting elements like building materials, as these organisms use organic matter as a food source. The result is the deterioration of structural elements in your home.

Is Mold Growing in Your Home?

Identifying mold damage in your home is vital for securing remediation professionals. You might want to wait for confirmation before calling experienced technicians. Often, signs that point to development include physical spotting on surfaces like drywall, a musty smell overwhelming an area of your home, or persistent moisture that lingers for several days. All of these can be strong indicators of microbial development in the house.

How Does SERVPRO Remediate Mold?

The remediation process is not one-size-fits-all. Careful considerations must get made about environmental conditions, hosting materials, and the impact of specific remediation solutions before choosing the best approach. Options can include:

• Surface Cleaning - Exterior treatments for hosting materials are the standard first step in removing mold infestations and microbial damage. Antimicrobial and sporicidal products can effectively eradicate surface colonies and prevent further development.

• Sanding - Hand and power sanding are ideal for materials hosting mold colonies like wood framing. Sanding removes thin layers of the outermost exterior to remove infestations.

• Media/Soda Blasting - Abrasive cleaning techniques can often effectively remove surface mold that has begun to penetrate beyond the outermost layer.

• Controlled Demolition - While other remediation methods are considered before demolition, this approach is a final solution against deeply embedded mold damage.

Preventing Recurrences

Among the advantages of having professionals capable of completing the general contracting work associated with mold recovery is preventing recurrences. Some vulnerability in a home's construction allows the intrusion of water and moisture into a living space. Addressing these concerns through competent and experienced contractors ensures that we can prevent similar situations from environmental conditions that were never fully resolved. Our professionals can help in many ways, including:

• Controlled demolition
• Structural repairs
• Containment
• Utility repairs
• Reconstruction

West Hartford mold damage is a threatening situation often underappreciated by those experiencing the growth. Our experienced remediation professionals work quickly to overcome spores and colonies in the house to help you get back to comfortable living conditions. Give our SERVPRO of West Hartford team a call when you need us at (860) 206-6141.