So Much Rain, So little Time

The past few weeks here in Westchester County have been quite, well, wet. Maybe its just me but it seems that April, the month that's supposed to be rainy, wasn't, and May and June were. Regardless, the rain was here and supposedly there is more to come. So I want to remind all of you to protect your property from the potential hazards that come along with heavy rains.

Making sure your gutters are in proper working order is a top priority. They should be cleaned every year to remove debris like leaves and sticks. The only way that a gutter can do its job is when its clear of obstructions. The gutters are supposed to carry water away from your house and foundation. So often I see gutters that have down-spouts that are pointed directly towards the foundation of the home. This will only lead to one conclusion, when heavy rains come, the water will find its way into your basement or first level via the porous concrete. Take my advice and do a proper walk through of your property. Make sure your down spouts are directed away from your home.

While we are talking about walk throughs, inspect the rest of your property for other red flags. If you see any broken or dead branches that could potentially damage your roof or home, have the branches removed. All it takes is one strong gust of wind, and that branch could wind up damaging your roof, windows, or worse. Once you have damage on your roof, water is likely to follow. Don't take a chance with the safety of your home.

The next time a heavy rain storm comes, take a walk around the perimeter of you house. Check the ground for any pooling water or heavy puddling around the foundation. Sometimes, if the ground has not been properly leveled or graded, the rain water will pool very close to your home. French drain systems and dry-wells are common solutions to re-directing water away from the foundation of your house.

If you have an underground sprinkler system, be sure to have it professionally checked. Faulty sprinkler heads can directly place water right at your front door. Broken pipes or underground lines can lead to massive flooding. Proper maintenance will keep your grass green and your house dry.

Be sure that if you do have a basement that is prone to water infiltration, you have a sufficient number of sump pumps. If you are concerned about losing power to your sump pumps, you might want to consider having an alternative source of power installed. Generators have become very popular since Hurricane Irene occurred in the summer of 2011. Many of us lost power for long stretches of time, rendering our sump pumps useless. Back up generators can be a lifesaver. They come in a variety of sizes, price-ranges and use several different sources of power.

Lastly, household maintenance is a sure-fire way to prevent water damage in your home. Having items like water heaters, air conditioners, heating systems, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers inspected and maintained by certified professionals is the only way to ensure their properly working. These items are notorious for causing damage to homes. There is no way to prevent complete accidents from occurring, but you can drastically reduce the potential with simple, regularly scheduled maintenance.

Water damage is the number one cause of damage for our customers in particular. It can destroy a lifetime of memories in a matter of hours. Please remember, water damage can lead to even more disastrous situations like mold infestation. Keeping your home and family safe from the elements of Mother Nature is the only way to reduce your risk for expensive remediations.

Don't Rip Up That Wet Hardwood Floor Just Yet!

A few months ago, we completed a fairly large restoration job in Scarsdale, NY. The homeowners had a significant amount of water damage to their home after several days of heavy rains. Because their house sits at the lowest part of a steeply inclined street, their house is the prime target for excess runoff from heavy rains, or any water for that matter. Being new homeowners, they had begun to update areas of the house to suit their personal tastes. One of the first things they did was installing beautiful hardwood floors throughout the basement. They were trying to create an upscale game room and the pictures that they showed me were really impressive. unfortunately, the heavy rainfall created alot of excess water, and water, as we know, seeks the lowest possible place to settle. It just so happens that the lowest point was their newly finished basement. They were devastated, to say the least. There was several inches of water covering their brand new hardwood floors when I arrived.
The clients assumed that their hardwood floors would have to be ripped out and replaced because of the warping they had begun to see after we extracted the water. It's actually not always the case. In this particular instance, we were able to successfully salvage their floors. Depending on how long the floors were exposed to the water, how much water actually penetrated the wood, and several other factors can determine if your floors can be saved. An experienced restoration company will have the tools to properly assess the damage and the equipment to properly fix it. The equipment that I use in scenarios where there are wet hardwood floors uses air that is directly injected under and in-between the planks or panels of wood. It can take several days of drying to properly salvage the floors, but only experienced technicians should be handling these types of repairs. It's important that flooring, among other fixtures, dry slowly, evenly and thoroughly. This principle actually applies to most damaged parts of the structure.
If your home suffers water damage, the best thing to do is to call a reputable disaster restoration company (preferably mine....shameless plug......I know). Next, take a deep breath and let the professionals do what you hired them to do. A great restoration company will have employees that can answer all of your questions and concerns, the proper equipment to do the job and a plan of action to properly handle the situation. If they don't, call another company!