There are some important things to know if you’re looking to dry out water damage in Los Angeles.
Will water damage dry on its own? How long does it take for mold to grow from a leak? How can moisture be completely removed from walls, ceilings, and floors?
Here’s what to do right now, from Save The Day Restoration. Don’t know us yet? We’re California’s leading, licensed, and highly-rated water damage restoration experts.
Time Is Of The Essence
When a leak, flood, or another source of water damage strikes, each passing minute can lead to additional repairs and their associated costs. We strongly advise that you contact a trusted damage restoration company. At Save the Day Restoration, we offer 24/7 emergency services and can mitigate your water damage issue right away to save money and stress.
Here’s what can happen to your property if you do not deal with water damage as quickly as possible.
Wood Swelling And Warping
In a short time, wood can swell and warp, and it won’t ever just go back to how it was before. The sooner you get us onto the water extraction and drying, the lower the odds are that you will need to replace the damaged wood.
Drywall Damage
Drywall really doesn’t like water.
Water can permanently weaken it, and we need to make sure all the water is extracted from the places you can’t see before we dry out water damage. If water weakens it, we’ll need to replace the damaged parts of your drywall to preserve the structural integrity of your home and avoid future mold growth.
Foundation Weakening
If that water sinks downwards, we need to pump it out right away.
Without professional water extraction, water has a nasty habit of sticking around foundations. Then in the winter, it can freeze, causing expansion that can crack your foundation, walls, and pipes.
Mold
Mold is a huge, smelly, toxic headache. It doesn’t disappear once the water’s dry and it can weaken whatever it’s eating into, making the whole building unstable and dangerous. Extensive mold damage can make your property value nosedive if it is allowed to spread unchecked.
If the water damage has already begun to produce significant mold growth, you need mold remediation. However, it’s best to avoid this in the first place if you can.
How Long Does It Take For Mold To Grow From A Leak?
Are you ready? A day.
Yes, really. Especially if the weather’s warm, or the water’s dirty. If it’s both, it’s a mold party. Good thing Save The Day Restoration offers 24/7 emergency services.
Can I Dry Out Water Damage By Myself?
You really shouldn’t attempt to do this yourself. Without the professional-grade water extraction tools possessed by water damage restoration professionals, it’s nearly impossible to remove the excess standing water and moisture completely.
Attempting to deal with water damage on your own may even have the opposite effect and exacerbate the issues above. Beyond just the risk to your home that an incomplete job poses, DIY water damage restoration poses serious risks to your well-being.
Electrocution
It’s quite possible for homeowners to electrocute themselves if water has pooled and they attempt to dry out water damage by themselves. A significant water damage event often makes contact with exposed wiring and touching this water has dire consequences, to say the least.
Injury From Structural Weakness
As we mentioned above, drywall gets weak when it’s wet. Ceilings too. It’s not always obvious when they’re going to collapse to the untrained eye. Leave it to the professionals to determine the safest way to enter your home and deal with any damage that needs to be addressed.
Slipping
Slipping certainly doesn’t seem too bad when compared with the nightmare scenarios above. However, as many as one million Americans injure themselves through slipping, falling, or tripping every year.
Water damage events create the perfect environment for a nasty fall, especially if the water is dirty and you can’t see where you’re walking.
Infection
So is that dirty water? Two questions.
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Was the leak from a clean water source?
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Did it happen less than 24 hours ago?
If the answer is “no” to either of these, you should treat the water with extreme caution. You can expose yourself to harmful bacterias from dirty water, especially if it contains sewage. Then, call licensed water damage experts like those at Save The Day Restoration to carry out professional water extraction.
How Long Does It Take For Water Damage To Dry Out?
It really depends on several factors.
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How much water there was.
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Whether the water hit porous materials like drywall.
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How far the water sank into cracks you can’t see.
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The climate conditions.
If you’re lucky, you’re looking at a couple of days for the water to dry on its own. However, this is still enough time for mold to grow.
In more severe cases, it could take several weeks to dry by itself and will likely have done excessive damage by then.
Do I Have To Dry Out Water Damage?
Yes, it will save you a huge amount of money. If you wait, water becomes toxic and can cause a lot of expensive structural damage to your home.
Also, if you leave the water to dry out by itself, your insurance is unlikely to pay for any mold or water damage restoration that you’ll need.
How To Dry Wet Walls Quickly
Our crew knows just how to remove moisture from walls. We’ll ventilate the area as much as possible, and use special tools to extract the water from inside, if necessary. We’ll also use dehumidifiers and powerful fans to dry out water damage in a short time.
Doing the job ASAP means you’ll need less water damage restoration when we’re done.
Drying Ceilings After Water Damage
As with walls, we’ll check for discoloration and structural weaknesses.
If the ceiling got wet from the attic, we’ll check for moisture in the insulation too. Insulation can become moldy easily and lose a great deal of its efficacy when it is left moist over a long period.
How To Dry A Room After A Water Leak
The Save The Day Restoration team follows a similar process to the one above. We’ll check the ceilings and floors where necessary to see if any water is pooled and if anything is structurally weak.
Pumping Pooled Water From Floors
If the water is still flowing, we’ll cut it off at the source. Then we’ll connect our pump and make short work of the residual water on your floor.
Need Us To Dry Out Water Damage? Call Save The Day Restoration For Excellent Water Damage Restoration In Southern California
We’re a licensed, highly-rated, company specializing in water extraction, water damage restoration, and sanitation in Los Angeles. However you got your water damage, we need to get it dry right away. Our team is waiting for your call 24/7 every day of the year at (562) 246-9908.
