We find that by better familiarizing yourself with the water damage restoration process, it’ll allow you to not only better understand what’s going on in your home but will also give you peace of mind.
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By far, the most effective way to speed any drying process is to remove as much standing water as possible during the extraction phase, as quickly as possible. If water damage extraction is done poorly, it’ll significantly slow the drying process. And as we all know, time is of the essence when it comes to water damage situations. The longer water is left unattended, the potential for more damage increases.
For the most part, extraction and evaporation are the only ways water can be removed from a wet structure. Ventilation is everything here. During the extraction process, liquid water is vacuumed (by a special wet vacuum,) mopped, squeegeed or otherwise removed from the structure. We’ll scoop out the water with buckets if we have too. Water extraction takes some time and energy, but not nearly as much as evaporation.
It’s also important that water damage restorers abide by local laws and regulations when disposing of extracted water. Waste water is best disposed of into a sanitary sewer, however, in some areas it may be necessary to dispose of waste water at an approved municipal wastewater disposal site.
The most important factor in extraction is not how much water is removed, but how quickly it is removed and how much water is left behind. It is important to remember that every drop of water left behind will add time to the drying process.
Table of Contents
Planning Ahead for Drying
During the extraction process, it’s best to efficiently plan ahead for drying challenges to prevent any further water damage.
This can be done in a couple of ways. If the structure or building is cold (defined as below 70 degrees Fahrenheit), begin warming the area. This can be easily accomplished by simply turning on the heat in the structure or building, or by adding a heating device.
If a structure or building has a high humidity level (above 60% Relative Humidity), it’s a good idea to consider flushing the building or structure to drier outside air or be dehumidifying the affected area during extraction. These steps help prevent any humidity buildup and may lessen the humidity “spike” which is common when air movers are initially installed and turned on.
If there’s a strong odor in the affected site that’s cross contaminating other unaffected areas, setting up a negative pressure and/or containment will help reduce the spreading of the odor.
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Protecting the Carpet
It’s important to protect furniture from any contact with the wet carpet; the folks over at LCC & FR recommend propping up furniture with foam blocks, foil, or plastic tabs to achieve this.
Blocking furniture accomplishes a number of things, including:
- Preventing color transfer between furniture and carpet (causing stains)
- Preventing rust stains
- Facilitating effective and efficient water damage drying methods by elevating furniture
Removing any and all furniture that has contact with carpet is imperative when it comes to protecting the carpet. This includes any and all draperies, curtains, or any other window or wall fixtures that make contact with a wet carpet. For draperies, it’s best to use a drapery hanger; picking up the curtain, looping the fabric, and hanging it from the curtain rod.
Dependent upon the severity of some water damage restoration projects, it’ll be necessary the underlying carpet cushion. This process will require our restoration technicians to disengage stretched-in carpeting. Carpet loses 80% to 85% of its strength when it’s wet, and thus it’s vital to treat carpet as gently as possible until it fully dries. Otherwise, the water damaged carpet will need to be replaced, incurring unnecessary expenses.
If and when any carpet needs to be disengaged from the tack strip, restoration technicians should be using what’s called a knee kicker and carpet awl to properly remove the carpet without causing any further damage.
Knee kickers are using to release tension on the carpet and move it away from the tack strip. Then, a carpet awl is pierced through the carpet’s primary and secondary backings and used to lift it up and away from the tack strip. Using this method greatly reduces carpet delamination.
Carpet should be disengaged around the perimeter of the room and then rolled back in one direction to expose the water damaged cushion underneath. It’s important that restoration technicians roll the carpet and not fold it, as folding carpet will place stress on the latex between the primary and secondary backings and can lead to delamination. If the carpet can be salvaged (and can be if water damage restoration is done properly,) it’s important to avoid making new cuts in the carpet and should only be made along existing seams, and even then only when absolutely necessary.
When it comes to water damage restoration, proper technique and experience can ultimately determine how much can be saved and restored. When it comes to water damage restoration hiring the right professionals to get the job done is important.
The two-step process for carpet and pad extraction:
Step 1.
The primary goal of the initial extraction of any water damaged affected area is to contain further migration of the water within the structure, this is what we call containment. This step is accomplished using a light wand attached to either a portable or a truck mounted extraction unit.
Step 2.
The deep extraction process is accomplished by using a sealed or weighted extraction tool attached to either a portable or truck mounted extraction unit.
If deep extraction is not available, the carpet cushion should be removed to prevent lengthy drying times. Otherwise, excess water will remain in the carpet underlay. This water must be removed through evaporation, which prolongs the drying process. It also increases the amount of equipment required to meet drying timelines and drastically increases the likelihood of secondary water damage to the structure and its contents.
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Effective Extraction Techniques
Regardless of the type of vacuum equipment being used in the water damage restoration process, there are several guidelines that our restoration techs follow to increase the water extraction effectiveness.
- If there’s a lot of furniture in a room, restoration technicians should minimize handling and speed up the process by extracting the center of the room first. Then moving furniture to the center of the room, blocking and protecting the furniture while extracting the outside perimeter.
- Water damage extraction hoses must be the shortest length possible, due to the increased resistance with longer hoses.
- Water damage extraction hoses should be the largest diameter approved for the tool and vacuum equipment.
- Loops and bends should be avoided.
- “Live” or “active” hose reels are great for carpet cleaning, they shouldn’t be used for water extraction purposes.
Evaluating The Effectiveness of Deep Extraction
When drying carpet and carpet cushion underlay in place, one way to determine the effectiveness of the restorers extraction is by testing a portion of the extracted cushion. The number of passes needed to properly extract a carpet and/or cushion combination is usually determined by extracting a corner with a deep extraction tool, then disengaging the carpet from the tack strip.
In the area that was extracted, restoration technicians should inspect the cushion by squeezing firmly. If water doesn’t drip from the cushion when squeezed, extraction was adequate. In the case that water does drop from the carpet, additional passes are necessary and should be re-tested.
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Water Damage Extraction: Extracting Standing Water
Removing standing water is absolutely crucial in the water damage restoration process. Standing water on the inside of a basement or crawlspace exerts pressure on the walls and foundation of buildings and structures. If the water table of the surrounding ground has risen along with the interior water, equal pressure is pushing toward the inside of the building or structure. This equalized pressure is called hydrostatic pressure.
Removing all of the interior water too quickly, while the pressure outside still exists, can result in detrimental structural failure and irreversible damage to the walls. During the water damage extraction process, the depth of water needs to be monitored to ensure that it’s actually falling at the expected rate. If it’s not, it’s possible that outside water is entering the structure due to the unequal pressure being created by the removal of inside water.
To prevent this problem, restoration technicians should calculate the amount of water present and divide that by the flow rate of the submersible pumps being used on site. This will result in the amount of time necessary to remove any standing water in the area. Which can then be used to determine whether or not additional outside water is entering the affected area through the walls. Should this happen, it’s important that all pumping efforts be halted entirely until the water table outside recedes to adequate levels.
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Extracting Water from Hardwood Floor’s
When hardwood is being dried, it’s necessary to extract it thoroughly, just like any other surface. This is accomplished using hardwood floor drying mats and a portable vacuum. Mats are placed on the floor and attached directly to the vacuum system. The time required for extraction depends on the amount of floor affected and the amount of water present. The process is complete when liquid water is no longer being visibly collected by the vacuum system. The mats must be periodically lifted from the wood floor and the surface must be wiped to remove the small amount of surface water. Then, the technician can observe the rate at which additional water is being removed from the floor.
As usual, having an experienced water damage restoration team on site with the proper tools and equipment can be vital in properly restoring any water damage that occurs.
Have any questions or concerns? Feel free to let us know in the comments below.
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