Pipes breaking in a home or business can be a nightmare for the owner. Recently, we were called to handle an emergency water extraction and drying in the Green Bay area. Upon arrival, we entered the home to find standing water. As you can see from the photos below, the burst pipes really did a number on this property. This situation was intensified as the homeowner was not at home for a bit of time, thus allowing much more water to leak out of the pipes.
As we enter an emergency water extraction and drying service call, we will use a moisture meter to take readings of the home. We do this for insurance purposes along with being able to get the home or building to an optimal moisture level where mold cannot grow.
If you’ve been lucky enough to never deal with a water emergency, count your blessings. The photo below shows the moisture condensation on the ceiling due to all the water that came into the house. It’s hard to imagine this amount of condensation but as you can see from the picture, this does actually happen.
At CCS, our team of professionals came prepared and started the extraction process after identifying the cause of the water emergency. At this particular job, the issue stemmed from a boiler malfunction and the home not being able to properly heat during a very cold snap. From there, the pipes froze and burst to allow water to spill into the home. From the photos, you can see how the copper lines split.
When we start an emergency water extraction and drying service, we take an initial reading of a moisture meter. The readings on this meter will be used by the insurance company for processing the claims. We also have a probed meter that we use. The probed meter sticks into drywall helping us identify how far the water has been wicked up into the drywall. This gives us a clear indication of how far we’ll need to remove the drywall for the client.
Once the property has the water extracted, the demo process will be started to remove any damaged materials. Fans and dehumidifiers are also used to extract excess moisture in the air. Doing this helps restore the property to appropriate moisture levels. Throughout the drying process, new moisture level readings will be taken to ensure moisture levels are coming down.
From here, the next process for this building is what we call the build-back of the property; replacing the drywall and flooring and getting the property back to pre-damaged condition.
At CCS Property Services we are trained in proper emergency water extraction and drying services. Being a licensed general contractor allows us to also do the build-back work. If you have any questions regarding emergency water extraction and drying services, please feel free to call us at 920.435.2288 or visit our water emergency page.