The Second Step of Water Damage Restoration

7/9/2021 (Permalink)

After identifying any safety hazards and stopping the source of the water intrusion, the second step of water damage restoration is to answer the question “what’s wet?”.

This question can be trickier than you’d think. Water has a tendency to migrate far and wide throughout a structure in ways that can be extremely difficult to predict. Our job is to find the “edges” of this migration so that we can properly scope out the restoration project.

It is INCREDIBLY important for any restoration professional to be comprehensive when figuring out what’s wet. It’s on us to inspect all potentially affected areas so that we can scope the project properly for the homeowner and their insurance carrier. That means that if you have a toilet leak on the third floor of your house, we may have to inspect the ducting all the way in your basement crawlspace to know for sure whether it has been affected or not.

As we go, we’ll also protect any belongings that are in wet areas. This might include blocking and padding furniture, removing or lifting clothing and draperies, removing metal objects and ensuring that the water does not migrate onto any dry surfaces.

Once we know “what’s wet,” we can then go on to scope and complete the water damage restoration work.