Recent Posts
Secondary Damage after water loss?
4/16/2024 (Permalink)
Call SERVPRO immediately after a water loss to avoid secondary damage, like mold.
Secondary damage is caused when an initial loss occurs and the primary source isn't addressed or mitigated quickly. This additional damage may happen quickly as long as the original conditions persist or worsen over time. For instance, if water damage goes untreated or high humidity levels persist, black mold may develop. The water damage is the primary damage, and the mold growth is secondary. Take timely measures such as contacting a plumber to find any leaks, contacting SERVPRO® to perform extraction services or a roofer if the issue is on the exterior of your home--to restore primary damage and fix the source of the problem to prevent conditions from worsening.
What Are the Major Types of Damage?
There are several secondary types of damage that can affect your home following water damage. Including
Additional damage to contents or building materials:
Corrosion
Electrical damage
Mold growth, including black mold
Wood rot
How Can You Prevent Secondary Damage?
Resolving the source of the primary damage is the first objective. Once you have established where the water is coming from, you can begin to mitigate the area and prevent secondary damages from occurring. Secondly you will need to fix the source and begin to remove the water. Depending on the class and category of water you may need professional help. Category one water will originate from a clean source, a faucet for example. Any water that has passed through materials or originates from an unsanitary source is either Category 2 or 3 depending on the severity of the contamination. These categories of water will contain bacteria and sometimes solid waste and will need the affected areas cleaned and disinfected. Once the area is decontaminated, thoroughly dry the affected area and lower high humidity levels. To achieve this goal you may need to set drying equipment such as dehumidifiers and fans.
When Does Primary Damage Turn Into Secondary?
Primary damages will turn into secondary damages when the original loss isn't identified right away or circumstances do not allow for immediate resolutions. For example, during storm situations power outages are a large contributor to secondary damages where water may have entered the home and it had become and unconditioned space due to the air conditioner not running. This creates the perfect environment for mold to grow. Another example would be a small leak in behind a wall in a bathroom. The homeowner would most likely not know it is there until a secondary damage has occurred like mold or damaged subfloor.
Should you find yourself in a situation where you have a secondary damage and need assistance, SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties is here for your residential or commercial needs. 910-319-0600.
Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration Processes
2/21/2024 (Permalink)
Fire and smoke can damage our residences, but SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties can restore to pre-fire condition.
When the unexpected happens, and fire wreaks havoc on your property, it’s essential to have SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties by your side.
- Understanding the Aftermath: The aftermath of a fire can be overwhelming, both emotionally and physically. SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties explore the immediate challenges homeowners face and provide insights on how to assess the damage.
- Emergency Response: Time is of the essence in the aftermath of a fire. Learn about the importance of a swift and efficient emergency response from SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties, highlighting the initial steps to minimize further damage. Click here for info: https://www.SERVPROpenderwestonslowcounties.com/fire-smoke-damage-restoration
- Assessing the Damage: A detailed assessment is the foundation of any successful restoration project. Discover the key elements involved in assessing fire damage, including structural issues, smoke and soot residue, and water damage from firefighting efforts.
- Restoration Planning: Once the damage is assessed, creating a comprehensive restoration plan is crucial. SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties will guide you through the process of developing a tailored plan that addresses specific issues, timelines, and budget considerations.
- Cleaning and Deodorization: Cleaning up after a fire involves more than just removing visible damage. We will utilize advanced techniques in smoke and soot removal, as well as effective deodorization methods to eliminate lingering smells.
- Structural Repairs and Reconstruction: Repairing structural damage is a significant aspect of fire restoration. Understand the intricacies involved in rebuilding and restoring a property to its pre-fire condition.
- Working with Insurance: Navigating the insurance claim process can be complex. SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties can effectively communicate with insurance providers, documenting damages, and ensuring a fair settlement for your restoration project.
Restoration after a fire is not just about rebuilding structures; it’s about restoring hope and normalcy. SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties can be your partner with a fire cleanup and restoration that will reclaim your space and move forward. Call SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties today. 910-319-0600
Your Trusted Storm Restoration Partner
2/13/2024 (Permalink)
You can trust SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties in your home
When unexpected water damage strikes from a storm, it’s crucial to have a reliable partner by your side to restore your home or business promptly. In Jacksonville, NC, SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties stands ready to provide swift and efficient solutions to mitigate the aftermath of storm-related emergencies.
Immediate Response Team:
Our experienced and dedicated team understands the urgency of water damage situations. We pride ourselves on our rapid response time, ensuring that we are on-site quickly to assess the extent of the damage and implement immediate measures to prevent further issues.
Advanced Technology and Techniques:
Utilizing cutting-edge technology and industry-approved techniques, our water restoration experts employ state-of-the-art equipment to extract water, thoroughly dry affected areas, and restore your property to its pre-damage condition. From moisture detection tools to high-powered drying equipment, we have the resources to tackle any scale of water damage.
Comprehensive Water Damage Restoration:
Whether it’s a burst pipe, flooding, or storm damage, SERVPRO® comprehensive water restoration services cover a wide range of issues. We address water extraction, structural drying, mold remediation, and sanitization, ensuring a thorough restoration process.
Transparent Communication:
We understand the stress that comes with water damage, so we prioritize transparent communication. Our team keeps you informed at every step of the restoration process, explaining the procedures involved and providing accurate timelines for completion.
Licensed and Insured:
Rest assured, SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties is fully licensed and insured, giving you peace of mind knowing that you are working with a professional and reliable water restoration service in Jacksonville, NC.
Local Expertise:
Being a part of the Jacksonville community, we understand the unique challenges that local properties may face. Our team’s local expertise allows us to tailor our services to the specific needs of our community, ensuring a personalized and effective restoration process.
When a storm wreaks havoc on your home or business in Jacksonville, NC, SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties is your trusted ally. With a swift response, advanced technology, and a commitment to transparent communication, we are dedicated to restoring tranquility to your life. Call us today for expert water damage restoration services you can rely on.
How SERVPRO Eases Mold Removal in Your Jacksonville Home
5/1/2023 (Permalink)
Removing mold can be challenging. SERVPRO IICRC trained to mitigate any scope of mold damage.
Mold Remediation Steps Necessary in Jacksonville Homes
Mold discovery can be scary since it is not something you can wish away - the longer you delay, the more it becomes entrenched. Notifying SERVPRO about the changes you have noticed is a practical strategy since we can complete mold removal procedures and address any uncertainties you face.
Mold removal outcomes in Jacksonville depend on how you organize the response. If possible, strive for a speedy conclusion since staying in a moldy house is inconvenient. Your actions can also help halt the fungus from spreading beyond the initially affected areas. SERVPRO can ensure you get results faster by addressing the challenges that inhibit removal.
Issues That Negatively Impact Mold Removal
- Fear, especially from alarmist information about mold
- Dangerous exposure to moldy materials
- Focusing only on surface contamination
The readily available information about mold can scare you into inaction or lead to mistakes when handling the contamination. For example, you may be too afraid of making any contact because of the implied effects of such action. You might also hastily clean stains and spots from surfaces using detergents and thus introduce new moisture into the area, worsening the problem.
How Professional Mold Removal Works
Involving a professional when handling mold cleanup ensures a procedural exercise that addresses the contamination and protects everyone involved. Distinct processes may be necessary depending on whether the contamination affects porous or non-porous surfaces and the extent of the contamination.
Common Processes
- Establishing containment using plastic sheets
- Removing colonies and other debris
- Cleaning settled spores and dust
- Drying wet materials
Removing colonies and moldy debris requires surface agitation or controlled demolition to strip unwanted materials. Our IICRC trained SERVPRO crews avail the necessary equipment, including vacuums, drilling, and cutting tools, to facilitate the removal conveniently.
SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties is on hand when your property requires mold removal eliminating traces of an incident “Like it never even happened.” Call (910) 319-0600.
SERVPRO Helps All Phases of Jacksonville Fire Damage Cleanup
4/5/2023 (Permalink)
SERVPRO technicians help to make you feel "Like it never even happened." Call us for fire damage restoration in Jacksonville.
The Many Faces of Fire Damage Recovery
Because fires can affect a home in many ways, the damage recovery and cleanup of these emergencies involve several steps and stages. We have skilled professionals capable of helping your home through these restoration phases.
When contending with Jacksonville fire damage, it is crucial for restoration professionals like our SERVPRO team to respond quickly. Experienced FSRT-Certified technicians on our roster are ready to roll out when disasters strike.
Early Emergency Services to Help
Actions taken as soon as our professionals arrive can often be the difference in how long fire damage restoration takes or what structural elements and contents can get preserved. Emergency services precede the full inspection of the property to determine the estimation and restoration plan your insurance company will require to complete objectives like:
- Water Removal
- Controlled Demolition
- Air Filtration
- Fire Debris Removal
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Improvement
The air quality in your home after a fire gets extinguished is not typically safe for house occupants to endure. It is a priority of responding SERVPRO professionals to improve IAQ using a combination of tools and strategies. Debris removal, for example, can reduce concentrations of free-floating soot particulates. Contaminants to the environment overall are met with effective removal equipment like our HEPA 500 air scrubbers, capable of trapping particles as small as 0.3 microns. The result is a less volatile environment for restoration to begin.
Eliminating Soot from a House
Combustion does not always entirely engulf and destroy materials in its path. Partial burning creates carbon particles that stick to surfaces and become a significant obstacle to restoration and recovery. Several practices are necessary for varying levels of exposure:
- Solvents – Wet smoke damage can be a challenging soil deposit to overcome, often leading to a need for solvents that can dissolve these smoke solids to wipe them away.
- Alkaline Cleaners – Basic (non-acidic) cleaning agents neutralize the high pH of corrosive soot particles.
- Abrasives Blasting – Abrasives like baking soda and dry ice are strong enough to dislodge and remove soot buildup on surfaces but soft enough not to cause marring and permanent fire damage to the underlying substrate.
- Material Removal – When other solutions have not been effective or are not feasible, controlled demolition is a suitable solution. Soot removal is most effective when the hosting structural element gets eliminated.
Overcoming Malodors in Various Stages
Strong smells are another unfortunate byproduct of the combustion process, as burning materials and releasing chemicals or aerosols becomes a formidable obstacle for restoration technicians cleaning up after a fire. Malodors require direct action to neutralize or remove; rarely do these smells entirely dissipate. Smoke can become trapped in building materials, allowing for resurgences of offensive smells with changing conditions in the house. We have multiple deodorization methods ranging from fogging to oxidizing.
The Advantage of Skilled Build-Back Services
The combustion of building materials can often lead to a distinct need for repairs and reconstruction following a fire. Fire damage is one of the more challenging conditions for your structural elements, as prolonged exposure can ensure that these materials and unsalvageable. Often, controlled demolition is the suitable approach to help, but this leaves a need for rebuilding when much of the cleaning completes. Our SERVPRO team and our general contractor license can help with the needed build-back services.
Jacksonville fire damage is rapidly moving and overwhelming for the affected properties. As challenging as these situations can be for homeowners to manage, SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties is here to help you through each step of restoration. Call today at (910) 319-0600.
Fast Responses Help Jacksonville Water Damage Cleanup
4/5/2023 (Permalink)
SERVPRO extracts the water and dries surfaces, fixtures, contents, and structures to mitigate damage in Jacksonville properties.
Several Types of Water Damage Threaten Homes
Damages from water leaks and moisture intrusion into your home are among the most common restoration needs for residences and businesses. Experienced recovery specialists like our SERVPRO professionals have rapid solutions to help with:
- Structural drying
- Water removal services
- Content restoration
- Surface cleaning
- Repairs
Experiencing Damage in Several Ways
Jacksonville water damage can happen swiftly and from multiple sources. As leading restoration professionals, we can prepare for different types of compromised home conditions with our training and hands-on experience. Common threats include:
- Leaking Pipes – Most commonly, water damage is a product of leaks and burst pipes. Aging utilities become vulnerable over time with various influences wearing down the plumbing materials or external forces like extreme temperature fluctuations.
- Broken Appliances – Washing machines and dishwashers can fail under certain conditions, allowing leaks from the hoses feeding water to the unit or escaping pools of water gathered for the cleaning process.
- Flooding – Natural flooding can rapidly invade a home with little warning, spreading out through multiple rooms and leaving a pooling mess with debris and mud across the floors. Cleanup of these emergencies must get calculated and carefully considered to avoid spreading contaminants.
- Accidents/Spills – Accidents can also account for many water emergencies SERVPRO professionals help resolve. From an overflowing sink and bathtub to countless other issues, we know how to help.
The Threat of Pooling Water
When professionals first arrive at a damaged residence, they are often met with the visual of standing water when the disaster has introduced enough liquid to the impacted areas. With situations like burst pipes or flooding, standing water can be especially threatening, as there could be several inches of pooling continually working to absorb into exposed building materials and contents. To overcome these threats, SERVPRO professionals must utilize multiple extraction devices from our inventory, like wet vacuums, light wands, and submersible pumps.
Clearing Moisture from Building Materials
Drying is the universal need of all water damage restoration projects that our SERVPRO team undertakes. As leading restoration professionals, we arrive with cutting-edge drying and evaporative tools to make a significant difference over a shorter contact time. The foundational elements of drying remain the same, combining the evaporation possible with appropriately placed air movers and the humidity regulation of a sufficient number of dehumidification units. It is often also beneficial for our professionals to work to manipulate the temperature of the drying zone to increase drying production and raise the thresholds of relative humidity ceilings.
How Do You Know It Is Dry?
Thoroughly drying your residence can only be done with thorough follow-up on evaporation progress and the moist conditions of the property. SERVPRO must re-evaluate wet materials for their current needs, and damp pockets get tracked through wall systems and structural assemblies to ensure that wet areas are not left to facilitate mold colonies. Multiple approaches can help our experienced professionals monitor drying progress throughout the household, including:
- Detection devices
- Thermography
- Moisture sensors
Water Damage Repairs for Your Home
Repairs can be required to return your home to preloss condition after flooding or burst pipes. Immediate repairs and assistance can be necessary when we arrive, such as replacing portions of the plumbing system and broken fixtures allowing for leaks. When controlled demolition eliminates installed building materials and structural systems, our professionals must take the final stages of restoration and recovery and replace these to their original appearance “Like it never even happened.”
Jacksonville water damage can occur in several ways and rapidly overwhelm a property. Our SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties team knows how to help when disasters strike. Call us at (910) 319-0600.
SERVPRO Can Help with Jacksonville Mold Damage Threats
4/5/2023 (Permalink)
SERVPRO AMRT technicians can find and remediate mold damage in your Jacksonville home or business.
Dealing with Mold Damage in Your Home
Mold exists in almost every environment, making it a continual threat to your home and business when conditions exist to facilitate the growth of these colonies. We can help you return to everyday life when you suspect mold in your home.
Jacksonville mold damage can be alarming, particularly when you are unsure how far this problem extends through the house. Having trusted professionals ready to help makes a difference in the damage that a home sustains, and our SERVPRO team can reach your property quickly with IICRC-Certified technicians in several fields like:
How Does Mold Grow and Thrive?
It is important to understand environmental factors that could encourage the development and spread of mold in your home or business. Moisture is one of the significant components of active colonization, with spores requiring damp environments to set into materials and begin to grow. These organisms use specific organic matter as a food source, so having sensitive materials capable of supporting this colony is also a requirement. Warm temperatures are the final element, which is easy to achieve in a home with conditioned air to make the ambient interior below 55% humidity.
Why Is Mold a Threat to Your Home?
Many homeowners do not fully understand what makes mold damage a concern for their residences. The presence of mold is something that many house occupants have seen in their lifetime, making the discovery of these organisms less alarming. Mold development is a concern for your household, however. The presence of these microbial colonies is a sign that structural degradation is taking place, as these developments feed on the organic matter used as a host for the organism.
Can You Identify Mold Growth without Professionals?
While many sophisticated tools get used to confirm the presence of mold and the spread of these organisms throughout your home, there are means of identifying mold before you need remediation technicians. Homeowners can often use specific conditions like musty smells or spotting on surfaces to indicate where mold could become a threatening concern.
Remediation and Removal Solutions
Mold damage remediation and removal is not a universal, one-size-fits-all solution. Multiple phases and components can help, including:
Sporicidal products and antimicrobial solutions are the first lines of defense and correction against mold development at the visible surface layer of hosting materials.
Wood framing and similar materials can allow mold infestations just beyond the outermost surface layer, which actions like sanding can remove without requiring the demolition of the component.
Using abrasives under pressure can often destroy surface mold development without significant material degradation.
Demolition can be one of the final ways our professionals remediate mold damage and one of the most effective methods to accomplish this. Removing impacted elements prevents mold spread and avoids lengtheir attempts to clean surfaces that might prove unsuccessful.
Keeping Mold from Happening Again
Having mold happen once in your home can be devastating enough, let alone when this situation recurs repeatedly. It is vital to do anything possible to prevent this redevelopment of mold growth through direct actions with our general contractor license. Through repairs to areas like the foundation and roof, water penetration that allows mold production can get stopped. We must address environmental issues creating moist areas of the property instead of treating the products of damp rooms when naturally-occurring mold spores colonize on wet surfaces.
Jacksonville mold damage can threaten homes and businesses, especially when fast action is not taken to resolve the growth. Our SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties remediation professionals can help with cleanup and mold removal as your property needs. Call us at (910) 319-0600.
Where to Find the Right Equipment for Water Restoration in Jacksonville
4/4/2023 (Permalink)
SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties understands how important your home is. Let us help you out.
When There’s No Time to Waste, SERVPRO is Ready to Remediate Water Damage in Jacksonville Homes
Appliances in our Jacksonville homes make daily life a lot easier. Our clothes washers often run, as do our dishwashers and water heaters, giving us all the comforts we take for granted. But when an appliance breaks and leaks all over our utility room or kitchen, it is suddenly at the center of a topsy-turvy home, and we need immediate help to return to our routine as soon as possible.
Water restoration in Jacksonville is closer than you think. Right through your phone and into our 24/7 hotline, SERVPRO experts are ready to help. Certified technicians with access to industry-grade equipment are just what you need when your floors are in danger of permanent damage or your drywall is rapidly soaking up water. When our crew arrives at your home, we thoroughly assess the situation and detect where water may be hiding. We can then create an action plan focused on efficiency and loss mitigation.
Many of our clients attempt to remediate the situation themselves. Although their instincts are correct, it takes specialized equipment to remove excess water and restore humidity levels. When you call us, you can expect us to suggest one or several of the following:
- Wet vacuums: thanks to their power and combined with other specialty drying solutions, they can be key in removing standing water quickly and thoroughly.
- Extractor wands: for hard to reach spots, our team uses handheld wands to ensure we reach every corner and avoid secondary water damage.
- Pumps: depending on the volume of water soaking up your home, we can access pumps of varying power, from truck-mounted to submersible.
SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties is a phone call away. Call (910) 319-0600 and let us leave your home “Like it never even happened.”
Water Mitigation in Jacksonville after a Storm
3/3/2023 (Permalink)
It doesn't have to rain for very long for water to start building up outside. Our SERVPRO team is always on call and ready to be deployed.
SERVPRO Can Help with Storm-Related Water Restorations Services
Most people in our area know it doesn't have to rain for very long for water to start building up outside. Within an hour or two during a storm, there could be an inch or two of standing water in your driveway and yard. And since moisture only has to be an inch or two higher than your lower door seals to enter your house, it does not take much rain to cause issues inside your home.
Even if a small amount of H2O enters your home through a door seal, floodwater mitigation inside your Jacksonville home should be conducted. Sometimes, the moisture inside your home can get to where you are ankle-deep in water. If there are more than two inches of standing H2O, our SERVPRO technicians can use a submersible pump to suck out the moisture and put it into one of your sewage drains.
In other cases, only a minute amount of moisture enters from the outdoors, so only your carpets and other flooring materials get wet. However, any time water enters your structure from the outside, there is a chance of contamination. When dealing with rain water or muddy moisture from the ground, we can take precautions to prevent the spread of harmful microorganisms. For example, we can remove and dispose of any porous materials like your carpets that got wet. We can then use antimicrobial and antibacterial solutions to disinfect harder, non-porous materials like your subfloors.
Steps we can take to remove moisture after a flood:
- Water extraction services
- Applied Structural Drying (ASD)
- Use a mop and squeegee for hard surface floors
Any time you notice moisture has made its way into your house through your lower door seals, call SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties at (910) 319-0600.
SERVPRO Provides Thorough Deodorization for Fire Damage in Jacksonville
2/1/2023 (Permalink)
Soot and smoke emit plenty of foul odors. Call SERVPRO to eliminate these offensive smells in your Jacksonville home.
We Focus on "Hidden" Odors caused by Fire Damage
Among all the charred, ugly remnants in your Jacksonville home of what was once your family's belongings are microscopic particles of soot. They come from burning wood, paper, plastic, and many other things inside your home. Part of fire damage restoration involves dealing with soot.
A serious problem caused by soot inside a Jacksonville home with fire damage is that such particles get trapped within cracks, indentations, and enclosed spaces. The continued breaking-down makes soot eventually small enough, light enough, for the gentlest air currents to whisk them into the air. Once there, you and your family notice them as terribly strong and unpleasant odors.
There are different ways that SERVPRO's Odor Control Technicians (OCT) locate and eliminate the soot in such hard-to-reach spots inside a home after a house fire. Here are some of the methods used by our OCTs:
- Cleaning porous materials coated with soot, and
- Trapped soot.
Porous materials include natural wood, drywall, concrete, household textiles (draperies, carpets, etc.), and ceiling tiles. Darker items can naturally hide soot more easily than lighter-colored materials. We can wash and rinse some structural elements on-site or at our facility. The Esporta Washing System, designed with hydraulic pressurized water, does an exceptional job of cleaning fabric—even firefighters’ breakout gear.
When brick, mortar, grout, and wood furnishings show embedded soot particles, we can often remove a significant amount with stiff brushes and specialty cleansing agents. Exterior pressuring washing often does the trick.
Many times, we also opt to finish deodorization with wet fogging. This method uses particles about a dozen microns in size, which bond with soot before it produces unwanted odors
Heated smoke can force its way into nearly-sealed sites within your house. We use a different fogging method that produces a super-fine mist containing pairing agents smaller than a micron. This wet fogging system acts like smoke, which forces the deodorizing agents into areas we otherwise would not be able to treat.
To have your home deodorized to your liking after a house fire, call the experts at SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties at (910) 319-0600. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.
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