There is a lot of flooding happening in Western PA. For many, the first and only thought once the water is going down is “What do I do?” The second thought may be “Do I have insurance for this?”
For some of you, there may be good news. Many insurance companies will cover a loss if the source of water is sewer lateral problems. That occurred in a previous home I owned. Un-Flood-It of Tarentum Pa did the cleanup and by working with my homeowner insurance company, the loss was covered by insurance.
Click Here to Download PDF of my article about that cleanup
Other policies may cover if the damage happens if it is the result of another contributing reason that is covered by the policy. Policies that have mold exclusions or limits often have provisions to cover mold IF the cause of the mold is an event that IS a covered loss. An example of that is if mold is a consequence of a burst pipe...or flooding from a lateral sewer line. The bottom line on this is that reading a homeowners insurance policy from from to end may be a tedious and boring exercise, but may gain you information that gets you insurance coverage.
What is next after the flood and heartache
Let’s summarize this subject of flooding with a collective “YUK”! There are not many events in home ownership that are more disgusting and heartbreaking than any flooding. In addition to sewage backing up from your drain, almost all flood water has sewage from the main sewer system in it.
Whether you have insurance coverage or not, taking the correct steps as promptly as possible will minimize the heartache and expense. Saving your contents, valuables pictures and other keepsakes is a major part of that effort. When there is a major area wide flooding event like we now, finding a professional to help may be difficult if not impossible. To help with that, there are Envirospect.com article links below for help: Click on the links below:
Homeowner Guide to Flood Recovery in Your Home
Cleaning Contents in Your Home
6 Top Questions about Mold Cleanup.pdf
Getting a Home Healthy after a Sewage Contamination
The Sewage Cleanup Process Explained
Stop the water that is causing the back up. Don’t flush the toilet or run water in the sink. Stop the washing machine and anything else adding to the problem.
Keep people with compromised immune systems or without proper protection from entering the contaminated room. Never allow anyone with open skin injuries near sewage.
Take as many pictures of the backup and damage as you can. Document the extent and depth of the sewage. Also photo all contents. Photos can help identify the contents which are lost if you are covered by insurance. If the problem was created by a utility, they may require proof of the extent of your loss. Pictures are never a mistake.
Call your insurance agent. You have a duty as an insured to minimize the damage from any covered loss and any help or advice from them to minimize the damage can help you.
If you know professionals that you trust and know that they will do a good job, have that company respond to the problem. Unfortunately, the “preferred remediation vendor” suggested by an adjuster may not be the best choice for you or your home. Homeowners can select a company they trust. Claims are paid using standardized software that accounts for the actual work required “item by item”. This program is like the one used for repairs to cars after an accident.
Do not touch contaminated materials without personal protection such as gloves, protective clothing, glasses and masks.
Have the standing sewage water pumped or removed from the area. Sump pumps that can pump down to 1/8 inch of standing water can be used to accomplish this. The sooner the water is gone the less water is absorbed by the building and contents.
Turn off any electrical system or appliance. Any time water and electricity mix can be a disaster.
Make sure that any ductwork or other pathway that could spread the odor and contamination are closed off. Open any windows and vent the area.
Seal the contaminated areas of a building from the areas that are not contaminated. Close doors and hang plastic sheets in openings.
Install professional grade exhaust fans (negative air equipment) to drive the odor and any airborne particles out of the building.
Do not place fans to dry the contaminated area prior to cleaning the surfaces. Never sweep or disturb dried sewage. That puts it into the air where it can both spread and be inhaled.
Remove items that can’t be salvaged from the building. That would include wet drywall, paneling, most carpeting and pad, upholstered furniture, curtains, wet books and similar items. Bag the items before carrying them to reduce additional area or personal contamination.
Remove and dispose of items that cost more to clean than to replace.
Stage the items that can be cleaned and salvaged in a place where they can be cleaned. It is best to not move those items to uncontaminated building areas because that creates more areas that will need decontaminated. The best place would be the outdoors if the weather allows or a separate block garage or other facility. In the case where I was with Un-Flood-It, those options were not practical because it was a rainy day. Their innovative solution was a large box truck in the driveway to stage the items that could be safely cleaned.
Physical removal of the waste sewage on contents is an essential part of the cleaning process before disinfection. After wiping, Un-Flood-It used a plant based disinfectant and anti-mold product to disinfect contents. My testing surfaces with ATP methods proved that the product is effective.
Open any wall cavities that have gotten wet. Remove the distance up from the floor that the materials have gotten wet including baseboard, wall materials and insulation.
Once windows and doors can be closed, dry the area using dehumidifiers. This is not effective while the area is being vented with open windows and doors and may need to wait until the initial removal and waste removal is complete.
The best cleanup procedure is low pressure steaming of floors, walls and other contaminated surfaces followed by a disinfectant spray. It cleans the surfaces of the waste in addition to disinfection. This should be a slow and methodical process. Clean inch by inch, square foot by square foot for the best results.
The bottom line is your health and the value of your home is dependent upon proper cleanup after a sewage backup of any type. As an environmental inspector, I have found that a “do it yourself” cleanup can be the source of mold, odor and health problems years after the backup occurred. An improper cleanup can also make resale of a home more difficult. A professional cleanup is the best solution to sewage backup.
Go to www.Envirospect.com/sewagecleanup for more information about Healthy Infusion Professionals
Unwelcome water problems create heartache, health problems and often financial hardship. Knowing how to protect yourself and recover from the water event can keep a bad situation from getting worse.
Understanding water damage and recovery can be important to almost everybody. Frozen pipes, burst washing machine hoses and many other common occurrences can result in serious water damage. Flooding can occur almost anywhere. As a college student, the author’s dorm room on the 18th floor was flooded by the sprinkler system on the 19th floor. Strange and silly things that cause water damage do happen.
Weeks, months and possibly years after leaks and flooding occurs, new problems can arise from improper or incomplete restoration. Plaster can fall, wood can rot, and building exteriors collapse all as a result of uncorrected moisture problems. Allergies, neural and respiratory diseases as well as other serious health threats can result from improperly or untreated water problems.
All you ever needed to know about water damage you learned in high school gym class
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT, CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD DAN'S FULL ARTICLE ON THIS SUBJECT:
Click Here To Download A Copy of the "After the Flood" Article
Wall and furniture cavities and hidden surfaces such as carpet pad can create the same conditions as the dirty gym clothes. Nasty bacteria, mold and fungi can be found on every surface of a home. Flowing water drives the organic pollutants into every recess. Floodwaters can also deposit the bacteria from sewage.
Drying only the exposed surfaces of a building does not kill the hidden mold and bacteria any more effectively than cleaning the outside of the nasty smelling locker.
Items that have a financial or sentimental value, makes this an important question. Our possessions are often very important to most of us.
The short story is if it is porous and moldy it will probably need thrown away. This includes cardboard, carpet, padding, stuffed animals and upholstered furnishings. Mattresses and box springs are on that list.
Most paper products including books will need thrown out once moldy or wet from flooding . For very valuable items such as a family bible, there is an expensive, but effective freeze drying process that can preserve those items.
Small appliances that have been exposed to mold will need replaced. The cost of cleaning some of these items will often exceed the cost of replacement. Failure to clean these can result in recontamination of the home.
Food items that have been in contact or stored in areas with mold should be thrown away.
Materials that have a solid surface such as plastic, glass or metal are easily cleaned and preserved. Soap and water is the simplest cleaning method. A mixture of 1/2 cup of Clorox to a gallon of water is a great way to disinfect the hard surfaced materials. Do not use a higher concentration of Clorox as it can results in injury to people, pets and the items the mixture contacts.
Clothing is readily saved by washing in regular laundry detergent unless the fabric has been damaged. Mold will clean out of cloth material, but damaged clothing is not restored to its original condition by washing.
The paper materials that did not get wet or damp and do not have visible mold or damaged may be preserved with simply HEPA vacuuming.
Appliances that have some mold exposure but have not been under water may be saved with a professional cleaning. The exception can be electronics of appliances that can be damaged by mold. These may require a professional cleaning. Consult a professional about these items. As an example a hard drive may be removed from a computer and salvaged, but could be damaged if the powered on.
Forced air furnaces can distribute mold through an entire home. These need addressed as a part of any mold remediation.
Mold can and will live behind walls. Removal of house wall finishes may be required to get rid of the mold. If you do this work yourself, learn and follow the principals of containment, negative air and air scrubbing.
Any handling of mold contaminated materials should be done with personal protective equipment such as gloves, eye protection and masks.
There are materials used in the construction of homes that will require replacement as opposed to cleaning. Fiberboard is one such example. That material is used in construction as well as in some HVAC ductwork. Insulation is another common example
#5. How can it affect my health ? There are many studies and resources to tell us how mold can affect our health. That effect is highly individual, but we can see correlations that are helpful when entrusted to medical practitioners. Some molds can trigger chronic conditions like Asthma. Others can may trigger anything from neurological conditions to eye infections.
#4. Why is mold there ? Why mold is in a home is usually a complicated set of issues. There are usually multiple causes of mold in any building where it is found. It can be condensation, improper ventilation, faulty roof yard and basement drainage. Hidden leaks, defective HVAC installation and elevated humidity are also some of many possibilities.
#3. How can I make it go away and keep it for coming back ? Hiring a professional specializing in environmental assessments may answer the questions and save money for the homeowner by addressing the home as whole. Having an environmental consultant determine the source of the problem, suggesting treatment options and content questions may save money and provide peace of mind.