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Property Flood Removal
Removing water after storms and floods are not the only kind of extractions addressed by Water Removal Restoration Companies and cleaning services. However, they are usually the most challenging removal issues. This is partly due to the fact that when you have major storms and floods, commercial buildings and homes can be affected differently.
Regardless of whether you experienced a major storm, hurricane damage, torrential rains, etc., the results can be the same - massive amounts of water. Let's discuss the water removal needs after these disasters.
Water damage or water filled basements are the most common problem to occur. Commercial or residential basements can have standing water several feet high, making it more like a pool than living or work space. Water removal from soaked carpet is the easy part, the removal of standing water is the real challenge!
The biggest concern when you have standing moisture in your basement is that the foundation can actually crack or cave in. The pressure of the water on the foundation is so great, that removing the water too fast can exacerbate this problem. Water removal specialists have the experience and the calculations to design a plan to perform water removal safely without creating structural issues.
Pumping out the water is another issue. Without the right equipment removing the water from the basement can be challenging. Surprisingly, many water damage clean up companies are not prepared to remove several feet of water from a basement. Instead of taking a few hours, it can take a day or two. Make sure that the company you hire has portable pumps and sub-pumps that can handle the amount of water removal for your specific situation. Also be sure that if you have lost electricity that the restoration company has portable generators. Not communicating the lack of power can create problems and prolong the water removal at your location.
In commercial buildings, elevator shafts are where the water will collect. As you can imagine, water removal in an elevator shaft creates its own unique issues. Elevator shafts, from years of use, have grease, grime and dirt that have accumulated. As well, there are electrical wires and equipment lying inside the shaft. The major issue that is forgotten by inexperienced water removal companies and building management is to shut off the power during water removal. Not shutting off power will create a situation where you can get an electrical shock that can result in death. Building maintenance should perform a Lock-Out Tag-Out (LOTO) before any work inside an elevator shaft begins. (Lock-Out Tag-Out is a safety procedure required by OSHA that locks off the power to any machinery or equipment while service or maintenance is being performed). Once the LOTO has been performed, the next issue facing the water removal specialists is the environmental contaminants included with the water. The proper way to remove water from an elevator shaft is to extract the water and then dispose of the water following the EPA recommendations as well as state and local laws. Not doing this, leaves the removal company and building management open to legal liability!
Extraction can be as easy as using a Wet/Dry Vacuum or as difficult as renting large commercial water extracting equipment used to build bridges. Having and utilizing the right tools for the size of your job is the key to effective water removal!
Know your water removal situation and what the potential dangers and the safe way to properly remove the water and mitigate the situation. There are so many unique situations from bathroom flooding to an elevator shaft flood removal. SI Restoration has created a simple guide to get you started: Water Damage Guide.