Fast action when dealing with a water leak emergency can save you money and helps prevent further damage!
You’re in the middle of dinner when water starts pouring through your ceiling. The water is coming from an upstairs bathroom, but you don’t know for sure the location of the water pipe that broke. You’ve just experienced a water leak emergency, and it’s time to act quickly!
Water leaks can happen for many reasons, and if you don’t fix them quickly, they will cause water damage to your home. The water can also seep into parts of your house like carpets or wood floors. When water is left unchecked, it can lead to mold growth, which has health risks associated with it.
This blog post will share our top three tips about how you should act when dealing with a water leak emergency. Hopefully, if you’re in the middle of a water leak emergency, these steps will help you. Or, you’ll be prepared the next time you experience a flooding event in your home!
A water leak emergency leads to water damage
A water leak emergency is when water is coming out of your water pipes instead of going into them. This disaster can happen for many reasons, and they all need to be taken care of right away. However, the sooner you identify and address the issue, the better it will be for both your belongings and your home.
All water damage is expensive. However, drying up water as soon as possible with the help of a professional water damage restoration company can prevent water from causing any more damage to your house or business!
Burst pipes are a common source of a water leak emergency during the winter. This event happens because the water inside pipes can freeze when it gets cold outside, expanding with enough force to rupture the pipe.
Flash flooding or water damage from water seeping through your roof after a hard rainstorm can cause rainwater leaks. These are two common sources of water leak emergencies that occur most often during the summer months.
Water seeping into carpets or wood floors
Water seeping into your carpets or wood floors is one of the worst results of a water leak emergency that you can encounter. They are easily damaged and hard to replace. Because the water travels down, wood floors and carpets often receive a majority of the damage.
Water leaks can also cause water damage to your walls and ceiling, leaving water stains or damaging the drywall, which can require replacement.
3 Tips for dealing with a water leak emergency
To prevent water damage to your home, make sure you know what to do if water seeps through any water-tight zones in your home or business.
The first step is to figure out where the water originates. Next, you should check water supply lines for leaks, water pipes, and faucets. If it appears that there is no leak, then you can look at appliances like dishwashers or washing machines for water leaks. Then, turn off the main water supply to prevent more water from entering the area and worsen the problem.
Tip #1: Stay safe!
A water leak emergency can lead to standing water on the ground. If there are electrical components on the floor in your home, wading through this water poses a significant risk of electric shock. Turning off the power in your home could be the best course of action, or, even better, wait for professional help!
Another safety concern is when the water leak emergency involves sewage. This type of water leak introduces numerous bacteria into the area. Without proper safety gear—including boots and suits—you risk getting sick by handling this type of water yourself.
Tip #2: Call a professional
Professional water damage restoration companies can work on drying out water and remove water damage from flooded areas. Using the right equipment allows them to reach the water where it’s hiding to dry the area thoroughly.
Water damage restoration is a very involved process that requires a great deal of skill, training, and appropriate equipment. A professional water damage restoration can make sure your entire home is ready for your continued occupation, so you don’t have to worry about the safety of yourself and your loved ones!
Tip #3: Document the damage
Taking pictures of the water damage from your water leak emergency helps when it’s time to deal with your insurance agent. They can see water damage and water accumulation, so they know how much water was there. In addition, this evidence is beneficial if the water has caused mold to grow, as it will help with your claim that water damage caused mold growth.
Choosing a knowledgeable, experienced water damage professional helps with the insurance documentation. Their paperwork and expertise can help ensure your claim gets processed as quickly as possible, getting you reimbursed for the water damage so you can put the entire episode behind you.
Mold growth and health risks associated with it
Mold growth is an unfortunate consequence of water leak emergencies. When water leaks, it often moves along the surfaces in your home, seeping into drywall, carpets, and other materials. This water-logged environment provides the perfect breeding ground for mold to grow.
Mold growth poses health risks because the spores have been linked to asthma, allergies, sinusitis, and decreased lung function. In short, everyone that comes into contact with mold runs the risk of developing respiratory issues.
Quick action helps prevent mold growth—it can take as little as 24-48 hours before becoming a problem. Hopefully, you’ll have contacted a water damage professional by then!
Dealing with a water leak emergency in Atlanta
Water damage is not something anyone wants to happen. When water leaks, it often moves along the surfaces in your home, seeping into carpets or wood floors. This water-logged environment provides the perfect breeding ground for mold to grow and poses health risks associated with asthma, allergies, sinusitis, and decreased lung function.
Water leak emergencies are an unfortunate occurrence that you want to take care of right away by contacting a water damage professional as soon as possible who can help dry out water and remove water damage from flooded areas using appropriate equipment. In addition, choosing someone knowledgeable about water damages helps ensure documentation for insurance claims gets processed so you can put this episode behind you!
Give Revere Construction and Roofing a call or reach out via our contact page if you are in the Atlanta, Georgia area and have a water leak emergency. Our team is here for you and can be out on your property as soon as possible, ready to help you recover from the flooding disaster!
