Recent Water Damage Posts

Ways to Prevent Water Damage After a Leak

1/17/2024 (Permalink)

Water damage to walls, floor, baseboards occurred from a leak Learn how to prevent water damage effectively after a leak in your home. Essential tips to safeguard your property and avoid costly repairs. Act now!

Preventing Water Damage After a Leak: Expert Tips

Plumbing leaks are some of the most common problems in homes and businesses across California and the U.S. While some leaks are only mildly annoying, others can turn into plumbing disasters, resulting in water damage, wood rot, and expensive property repairs.

According to data from the Insurance Information Institute, as reported by This Old House, close to 15,000 homeowners across the country experience the effects of water damage daily. The average insurance claim for water damage is somewhere in the neighborhood of $12,000, meaning this type of damage is not trivial when it comes to your wallet.

Preventing Water Damage When Faced With a Leak

The good news is that there are ways to prevent water damage after a leak. In virtually all cases, the sooner you address a leak, the better your chances of preventing water damage, but it’s always important to take some action. Leaks tend to get worse over time; even a small leak can become a flood if left unaddressed.

If you’re concerned about protecting your property, below are some ways to prevent water damage after a leak:

Call a Professional

Often, the best way to stop water leaking into walls and floors is to contact a professional at the first sign of trouble. Some signs of water damage can include damp carpets or water stains on walls, but you may also notice mold growth along baseboards or a musty, moldy smell in the air.

If you believe that you have mold growth, you may need more than just a plumber. While a plumbing company can deal with the leak itself, a mold damage company is going to be the solution for water damage repair involving mold growth. These companies may also help remove water pooling after a serious leak or flood, but you will need to ask your mold remediation technician about this option when you schedule service.

Turn Off Your Water

If you can’t get a professional to your home quickly, you will want to stop leaking water at the source. This usually involves turning off your home’s main water supply, often located under a grate in your yard or at a shut-off valve in a garage, closet, or basement. This can be a good option when you can’t determine how water enters your home.

For example, you may have a leak in your water heater, but that water heater may be located in an area of your home that isn’t easily accessible. Without the ability to check for standing water around your water heater, choosing to shut off the water until a professional can address the situation is often the best idea. Water leak detection services utilize specialized equipment to track down the source of leaks so that targeted repairs can be made.

Contact Your Insurance Company

Your home insurance policy may cover water damage, but this varies from provider to provider and policy to policy. Flood insurance covers serious water damage caused by major leaks in some cases, but you will likely need to add this as special coverage as most general homeowners’ insurance policies don’t include flooding under general claims. Although flood insurance will not directly prevent water damage after a leak, it may cover the cost of repairs related to water damage caused by a leak.

Unfortunately, you can’t add flood insurance retroactively, so you must weigh the pros and cons of carrying this coverage. For many homeowners, the cost of additional flood insurance is worth the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you won’t have to worry about expensive repairs in the event of a water emergency.

Check and Maintain Your Plumbing on a Scheduled Basis

It’s also a good idea to check and maintain your plumbing on a regular basis. Older hoses for things like washing machines that get used often tend to develop leaks after many years of service, and changes in water pressure inside plumbing pipes can cause joints to loosen and leak over time.

By checking and maintaining your plumbing pipes, hoses, and fixtures, you can prevent water damage caused by leaks. Remember that leaks typically cause structural damage slowly over time, and it can be easy to miss signs of damage until something major happens. You can protect your home by creating a plumbing maintenance schedule or having a professional plumbing company maintain your home’s plumbing system.

Install Sensors and Sump Pumps

You can also consider installing wireless sensors to help you get notified of leaks, standing water, and flooding. These devices measure water flow and pressure and can send alerts to your smartphone if a leak or flooding has been detected. Moisture detection sensors may be placed around areas where pipes are located but can also be placed in bathrooms and kitchens.

A sump pump may also be a good idea if you have a basement. These devices automatically pump out excess moisture in low-lying areas of your home if flooding occurs after a leak becomes serious. As an added benefit, sump pumps can prevent flooding in basements during heavy rainfall if moisture seeps into basement areas of your home.

Vigilance is the Key

Although water damage following a leak can seriously threaten your home's structural integrity, vigilance can prevent disasters. By checking your plumbing often, watching for signs of water leaks, and partnering with professionals at the first sign of trouble, you stand a better chance of protecting your home and your health. If you do experience a leak, taking care of it quickly can typically prevent serious damage from occurring, but it’s always a good idea to have a professional check questionable areas for your own peace of mind.

Contact SERVPRO in Pasadena North for Fast Restoration Services for Water Damage

If you’re concerned about water damage following a leak in Pasadena, CA, SERVPRO of Pasadena North is here to help with comprehensive residential restoration services. Our team of experts is available 24 hours a day.

Emergency Water Damage Tips

3/2/2022 (Permalink)

yellow gloves thumbs up Tips to be helpful before SERVPRO arrives

A water damage occurs in your home and you have already called SERVPRO of Pasadena North to come to the rescue, but what can you do in the meantime to help?

First off, SAFETY FIRST, make sure the home is in a safe enough condition to move around. Remember, wet objects are much heavier than you may think, use caution when lifting. 

Here are a few ways you can help before SERVPRO arrives:

  • Gather any loose items from the floor
  • Remove your art objects from the walls to a safe space where they can be dry
  • Turn your a/c on (if its a hot day) to help speed up the drying process
  • Place wood blocks or aluminum between furniture legs and wet carpet 
  • Wipe excess water from wood furniture after you remove any lamps, clocks, or other decor 

The Type of Water Damages

11/15/2021 (Permalink)

Understanding the types of water damages can help decided what type of clean up services you would need! In the unfortunate case of seeing your home flood with water SERVPRO will be there to help! 

The three type of waters that cause damage:

  • Clean Water
  • Grey Water
  • Black Water

1.) Clean Water: can come from broken pipes and water supply lines, sinks and overflowed bathtubs, appliance issues

2.) Grey Water: water from appliances like toilets, washing machines, and sump pump backups. 

3.) Black Water: is the most extreme kind of water damage and requires immediate action to mitigate serious health risks. Black water can come from sewage, rising flood waters, seawater, as well as river and ground water

With SERVPRO in your corner you do not need to worry, we will identify the problem and get started on repairs immediately. 

Restroom Horror Stories

10/21/2021 (Permalink)

With spooky season right around the corner so are Halloween parties! You gather up all your closest friends, get your best costumes ready, and prepare the alcohol station for the adults! Halloween is the best time for adults to act like kids again and have a great time, but don't forget about that restroom!

You're having a fun time with your friends, drinking and dancing the night away that you don't even realize the long line outside the restroom! 

It's the next morning and you've woken up to water all over your living room floor. Where is this coming from? THE RESTROOM! You realize you have a BACKED UP TOILET and footprints all over the floor. So instinctually you try your best to stop the flooding by using your plunger but that doesn't work! 

What do you do now?

Call SERVPRO of Pasadena North!

We specialize in making your disasters "Like it never even happened."

Will You be Prepared When Disaster Strikes?

10/20/2021 (Permalink)

No one ever expects to experience water damage in their home or place of business. Unfortunately, disasters happen when you least expect them. At SERVPRO of Pasadena North we understand that water damage can be stressful on you and your family. That is why we do our best to take that pressure off of you, by providing you with an Emergency Ready Profile.

You do not except a pipe to burst in your home or place of business. However, you can be proactive and stay prepared in the event that it does. At SERVPRO of Pasadena North we can help you in your efforts of staying prepared by providing you with a FREE Emergency Ready Profile.   

What is a  SERVPRO Emergency Ready Profile?

The SERVPRO Emergency Ready Profile is designed to provide you with all the critical information needed in order to begin mitigation and recovery services. 

The advantages of having an Emergency Ready Profile are:

  1. A no cost assessment of your facility or home. (FREE)
  2. An easy access profile document that contains only the critical information needed in the event of an emergency.
  3. A guide to help you get back into your building following a disaster.
  4. Identification of the line of command for authorizing work to begin. (HOA ,property managers, insurance agents, etc...)
  5. Provides facility details such as shut-off valve location, priority areas and priority contact information.    

So now is the time to let us help you prepare for a disaster. 

For more information please call SERVPRO of Pasadena North at (626) 447-4111.

Sewage Cleanup

8/25/2021 (Permalink)

Sewage water loss Sewage water loss, before clean up

Sewage clean up is a large part of the services we provide to our customers. Sewage back ups can occur at any given moment, especially when drain pipes are not properly maintained.

In residential properties, the main cause of a sewage back up are toilet lines clogged with papers and sanitary items. In older homes, we notice that sewage drain lines may be corroded or have tree roots growing through, which causes the line to back up.

Homeowners should take precautions by maintaining clear plumbing lines to prevent a back up from occurring. We understand that sudden bursts or back ups happen, which is why our team is properly trained to clean, sanitize and mitigate after such losses. The water that results from a sewage back up is considered to be contaminated water, as it may carry various types of bacteria. For that reason, we ensure that the affected areas are disinfected of any residue and that porous materials are properly disposed of. In the event you experience a water loss, we have crews on call 24/7 to address your needs. You can reach us anytime at 626-447-4111.

Buckled Floor

2/25/2020 (Permalink)

Caring for hard wood and laminate flooring can be difficult at times. You must limit the amount of water used when mopping the surface of the floor and you should immediately clean up any spills that may occur. One of the reasons it is important to avoid any type of liquid, is because leaving a liquid on the surface for an extended period of time can lead to “buckling” also known as “edge-warping. Floor “buckling” or edge- warping” is very noticeable. You can tell that a floor has buckled when you begin to notice a rugged or bumpy feeling as you walk or feel the floor.

Ways to prevent floor “buckling”

  • Limit water usage when wiping or mopping the floor
  • Clean spills immediately
  • Avoid using cleaning products that can saturate the floor
  • Do not place plants that must be watered on a daily basis on the floor
  • Be cautious of pets urinating on the floor

Restore vs. Replace

1/22/2020 (Permalink)

At SERVPRO of Pasadena North we strive to, "Restore vs Replace" whenever possible. One of the ways we achieve this is by drying in place. Instead of removing hardwood flooring that has sustained water damage, we use the Floor Mat System to quickly and effectively dry the affected material.

When water seeps into hardwood flooring if not addressed immediately and properly, this will result in floor buckling. The next steps of drying the hardwood floor are crucial because this determines whether or not we can salvage the floor.To avoid this from occurring we place drying floor mats and tent the affected area with our state of the art drying equipment. 

The benefits of having our equipment set up as soon as possible allows for us to restore instead of replace. Our goal at SERVPRO is to leave it, "Like it never even happened."

Flooded Basement

1/17/2020 (Permalink)

A homeowner in Pasadena, CA called SERVPRO concerning a water loss due to a fire sprinkler pipe that broke. As a result, four feet of water flooded the basement, affected the walls and content that were also in the basement. Our SERVPRO technicians knew exactly what to do. We first endured the customer that we had everything under control and we restore all content and completely dry out the basement. We did exactly that! Extracting the water comes first, we must then cut and dry the walls to make sure there is no moisture left, because then mold can start to grow. While the walls are being dried, we move onto to the contents. The contents were papers that had value to the homeowner. With extreme caution and the right equipment, we were able to restore all the content with out destroying it.

SERVPRO of Pasadena North just wants to remind you that we do water remediation services as well as content drying. 

Faulty Fire Sprinkler System

1/17/2020 (Permalink)

Imagine coming home after being on vacation with the family just to be given this horrible surprise! Well, that's exactly what happened to our customer. This loss was caused by a faulty fire sprinkler system. To make matters worse the homeowner had just purchased the home prior to leaving to their destination however, they acted swiftly and contacted us. Our crew was able to be onsite within the hour of being notified of the loss and quickly jumped into action.

With the home having high moisture levels, our crew was able to effectively dry the structure within 5 days. By doing so we were able to save the structure from experiencing secondary damage such as mold. We at SERVPRO of Pasadena North do our best to achieve the industry standard of  drying within 3-5 days.

Discovering a Leak

1/15/2020 (Permalink)

Having a leak in your home or business can be very stressful, especially when the leak has gone unnoticed for an extended period of time.

Our technicians here at SERVPRO of Pasadena North have special thermal imaging equipment  that can detect the non-invasive moisture in your home or business. This helps find the main source of the leak without creating unnecessary damage to the structure. 

Water damage that you can not see is the most dangerous because it can spread without your knowledge. Pipes usually aren't exposed, making it difficult to detect when there is a leak.

Trying to identify where the problem is on your own may be difficult, as well as attempting to mitigate the damage without any help from a professional. Here are some tips on what you can do before SERVPRO heroes arrive:

    • Shut off the water valve leading to the pipe.
    • Stop the leak until you can repair or replace the pipe.
    • Turn on the faucets, to drain water left in the pipes.
  • Call SERVPRO of North Pasadena (626) 447-4111