What Is Water Mitigation?
Water mitigation is the process of reducing damage to your property and belongings caused by a flood or leak. It can be a complex task and requires professional help.
Mitigating water damage is important because it can reduce the amount of long-term damage that occurs. It includes the removal and containment of water, drying out materials, cleaning and sanitizing the affected areas, and eventually restoring the property to its pre-loss condition.
The first step in the mitigation process is to assess the extent of the damage to your home or business. This will help determine if your home or business is covered by insurance and if there are any other issues that need to be addressed. This is also a good time to talk to your insurance agent about filing a claim and getting an adjuster out to inspect the damage.
After assessing the damage, mitigation specialists will bring in industrial-grade equipment for removing water from your property. This can include hoses, tanker trucks, and portable sump pumps. Once the water is removed, mitigation specialists will use dehumidifiers to dry out the impacted area and reduce the risk of mold growth.
Once the water is gone, restoration experts will work to repair any damage water mitigation caused by the flooding and clean any contaminated areas. This is typically done with antimicrobial treatments, which kill bacteria and fungi that can cause mold growth.
Depending on the situation, remediation experts may remove furniture and other items that have been damaged by water in the impacted area. They will also remove carpeting and other soft materials that have been saturated by water.
They may cut out sheetrock and other building material to dry these areas out and prevent any further damage from occurring. This will allow for the restoration company to do a proper and thorough job of repairing your home or business.
If the water in your property is contaminated, it must be drained quickly to avoid health hazards. This is the only way to prevent mold and other microbial growth, which can cost thousands of dollars to remediate.
A sewage back-up, for example, is one of the most dangerous types of water to mitigate because it has potentially toxic contaminants. This is why it is crucial that the water be drained quickly and professionally.
There are many different types of water that can enter a home or business after a plumbing leak, flood, or other type of disaster. Some of these are gray water (e.g., a sink or shower that has not yet reached the sewage system) and some are black water (e.g., sewage backup).
Gray water is generally not as harmful to human health as black water. It is less likely to become soiled with pathogens or be spread around the property with fecal matter, but it can still be very contaminated.
This is where a licensed water mitigation expert can make the difference between gray and blackwater. Once they have determined that the water is categorized as gray, the professionals can move on to step three of the mitigation process: draining and drying out the property.