Has your property experienced a plumbing leak, flooding, or storm that resulted in water damage? If yes, you’ll need to seek water damage mitigation services promptly.
In Orlando, the hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 20, and the highest risk is from mid-August to mid-October. Furthermore, these months are the expected time for the increased demand for water damage mitigation services.
What Is Water Damage Mitigation?
Water damage mitigation refers to a professional service that primarily aims to remove leftover or standing water from a flooded area to prevent further water damage. It involves water extraction of soaked carpets and other soft materials from the property.
Difference Between Water Damage Mitigation And Restoration
The main difference between these water damage professional services is the process.
Orlando water damage mitigation contractors perform this procedure before restoration to contain the damage or loss that a property endured from flooding, fire, and other water-related incidents.
A professional contractor uses a commercial-grade truck-mounted extractor to draw out standing water from the property. Accordingly, service contractors use portable extractors to remove water from the carpeting and other porous surfaces.
After water damage mitigation, water damage restoration starts. The water restoration process involves returning upholstery, appliances, and other belongings to their pre-loss condition. The amount of water restoration necessary depends on the property’s water damage severity.
Water damage restoration involves cutting out drywall, removing carpet paddings, and applying antimicrobials for mold prevention. In some instances, setting up dehumidifiers and air movers are required to dry out the property.
Water Damage Mitigation Services
Professionals follow industry standards when rendering water damage mitigation services. They provide water quality assessment, water containment, and water damage prevention to other property areas.
Experts classify water damage into different categories, determining the service cost estimate. For instance, clean water, such as freshwater discharge from a washing machine, is under category 1. Gray water or water from a shower, dishwasher, kitchen sink, or roof leak is category 2. On the other hand, black water or category 3 includes toilet or sewage backup.
Generally, the cost to clean and repair water damage in 2022 is between USD$1,237 and USD$5,323, with an average of USD$3,279. Water damage mitigation services get more expensive as the category of water damage worsens. Likewise, additional costs may pile up when mold spreads into your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit.
Steps In Water Damage Mitigation
Contacting a water damage service company immediately after flooding, plumbing, or any water-related incident is important. Delaying this step will cause more damage to your belongings.
A professional contractor will take the appropriate steps to completely dry the property and prevent mold growth and other water damage-related issues.
Check out these steps on how professional water damage mitigation experts do the job:
Surface water is water from rain or snow that flows on the ground. Removing surface water involves evaporation using warmer and drier air.
Experts need to reduce the surface tension if the surface is still wet. For instance, baseboards halt capillary action. Hence, water damage mitigation experts remove baseboards from the property during the drying process for water evaporation.
Water damage professionals also utilize vapor diffusion to remove bound water. The moisture turns into vapor and evaporates.
Professionals also carry out wall cavity drying. For example, professionals create holes in the drywall parameters to dry out wet drywall. After which, capillary action and vapor diffusion convert water into vapor. The same applies to ceilings, vanities, cabinet cavities, and difficult-to-reach spaces.
Water Damage Mitigation Legal Matters
Even a small amount of water or spill can cause thousands of repair expenses. Most often than not, insurance may cover a property’s water damage repair costs.
But not all claims of property owners go the way they expect, especially regarding the settlement amount.
Despite having homeowners’ insurance coverage or other water-related add-ons, insurance companies strive to find ways to avoid paying a hefty settlement amount when the property owners file a claim.
Some people experience other stressful issues with their insurance companies, such as delays and denial of claims. That’s when an Orlando water damage attorney can assist you in demanding what you truly deserve.
Consulting a water damage lawyer is the first step you can take when water damage occurs to check your insurance policy accurately. They can negotiate on behalf of their clients by following up on the claim’s progress and ensuring that they get the right insurance coverage.
Conclusion
Water damage mitigation always comes first before restoration to save as many belongings as possible from further water damage. The next step is water damage restoration, which brings back damaged appliances, furniture pieces, and other belongings in pre-damage condition. Instead of doing it yourself, hire an experienced contractor to do water damage mitigation and restoration jobs to ensure more successful outcomes. Additionally, hire a water damage attorney to aid you in filing your insurance claims.
