My Basement Flooded( Don't Do It Yourself)

5/24/2022 (Permalink)

My Basement Flooded
"Don't Do it Yourself"

Setting The Scene
The time is 3:00 AM and its time for a nightly adventure to your secret stash of cookies in the basement. Upon arriving in the basement you noticed the time being wrong on the microwave but thought nothing much more of it. You then begin your descent down the basement stairs when you are abruptly stopped on the last step. An odd feeling begins at your feet, your socks begin to feel heavy and feet are cold. The light turns on and like seeing the ocean for the first time you stand in amazement of the endless amount of water. A thousand unanswered questions flow into your head and your heart races with fear. Once you have calmed down you take a great leap into the water in search of answers. Your journey for a cookie has ended and has led you to noticing your sump pump has failed. Once again with another unanswered question. Now the questions is what to do? Who to call? Can I do this myself? You choose to do it yourself and spend the rest of the night into the next couple days sucking out water with the shop vacuum, drying with every towel you own and throwing items away.
After a few back breaking days on your hands and knees vacuuming and soaking up water with towels, you start to realize that your carpet is moist like a sponge and your brand new vacuum isn't functioning properly. Out of the corner of your eye you notice your grandfathers recliner has a lean to it. Upon further investigation you realize the legs of the chair are falling off and have mold forming on them. In addition to the mold on the chair, you spot it on the carpet, baseboards, and other furniture, and begin to note a very strong musty smell. A flashback from that night dances in your head of the microwave reading the wrong time. This sparks an idea in your head that maybe the power went out and that's why your sump pump didn't work. Your only choice now is to call SERVPRO to clean the mess and address the mold. You attempt to make a claim, but your insurance denies you due to mold being pre-existing. You waited too long, and it is now too late.
Let Me Explain
Let me explain the route that the SERVPRO team would have taken to ensure your basement's return to its original state. First, SERVPRO would have sent out a Priority Responder whose primary role is to “identify the needs of the customer, documenting the situation in First Notice and quickly creating effective action plans based on those needs”(CPRT). This is achieved with trained and qualified Priority Responders who understand the mitigation process and are aware of what materials may be too porous to dry. Porous refers to the amount of water a material will hold or let in. This information allows the SERVPRO team to know what materials will dry and which ones will trap moisture. This can also give a heads up to the team as to what drying method needs to be employed. The Priority Responder will also inspect the cause of the loss and determine if the leak is still ongoing.
The next step would be for the priority responder to relay information to the crew on what to load and expect. With this information, the crew can now accurately load the correct amount of fans and dehumidifiers and/or other equipment. Within 3 hours of your call to SERVPRO, a crew will be on-site with a plan specific to your loss. The crew will then start the water mitigation process. In this case the crew would use a heavy weighted extractor to suck up water in the carpet, tear out any non-salvageable materials, block and pad furniture, and prepare to set up drying equipment. In a scenario including wood the crew will have evaluated if it can be salvaged and either tear it out or set up a Hardwood floor drying system.
Lastly, once the crew has effectively prepped the area for drying, equipment can be placed. SERVPRO uses a software called DryBook that helps determine the amount fans and dehumidifiers to place in an affected space. Once the crew have assessed the amount needed, the drying equipment is placed strategically to form a vortex. The vortex will enable air flow to hit every square foot of the area and help accelerate the water cycle. If fans are not set up correctly, it can increase the possibility of an area not drying. Speciality drying equipment may be needed when trying to dry hard-to-reach areas or more porous materials. For example, when trying to dry a wall with sheetrock, air may need to be pushed into the wall cavity. This can be accomplished by setting up an inject to dry system. This system is a series of hoses placed into the wall that allows to be pushed in the cavity of the wall, facilitating the drying process.
In addition, the crew will schedule a time within every 24 hr period to monitor the progress of the drying based on SERVPRO’s 6 steps of monitoring. 1) Observe the drying area 2) Inspect what you have observed and take readings of materials and equipment. 3) Document all readings, observations or changes. 4) Consider using other drying methods to speed up dry time. 5) Apply all knowledge from readings, observations and overall mitigation process to the drying process. 6) Adjust any equipment that needs to be moved, added or removed from the job site. Once the area is dry the crew will remove equipment and return furniture to its original place. Within three to five days your home is back to new and, just like our slogan says, "Like it never even happened."

Reasons why to Call SERVPRO
1. Instead of you working hard, we take the stress and hard work off your hands.

2. Our powerful, efficient and industrial equipment will get the job done fast and correctly.

3. SERVPRO Technicians are certified and trained professionals who understand what it takes to return your home back to normal.

4. Mold forms within three to four days if not treated correctly, and our crew will be there before mold will ever have a chance.

5. SERVPRO has national accounts with various insurance companies that allow us to take charge with your claim.

6. Furniture and other items are either moved out of the affected area, or on blocks and pads to protect them.

7. Drying is ? the cost of tearing out and replacing materials.

8. Our crew is prepared with the correct PPE gear to safely tackle any type of job.

Hancock County SERVPRO
2042 Tiffin Ave, Findlay, OH 45840