The morning started out as any other. We got up. Got ready for work, the kids ready for school and we left the house. When we left everything was calm and dry. That would all change when we came home that evening. I got a phone call from my daughter at 3:50. She was hysterical all I could get from what she was telling me is water everywhere. That of course is not what you want to hear while you are still miles away from being home. I hung up with her after telling her to go outside and called the neighbor. He was able to come over and turn off the water and calm our daughter down.
When my husband and I arrived home we began my assessing the damage and immediately knew we needed to call the insurance company. Our agent came over immediately and we were able to determine that a pipe had “burst”. It really had not completely burst but you would have never known that looking at all the water in our home. The seal had actually ruptured causing the pipe to split apart.
With the water shut off we were able to purchase the materials needed to make the repair. That was a simple, inexpensive fix however the water cleanup was a whole different story. Our insurance agent was on the ball and immediately called in a water restoration firm that was well known for helping clients in this exact situation. They came in and we basically decided we should relocate for the better part of the week. This was personal choice not something we were told we needed to do.
They began the repair with the removal of the carpet and padding that had gotten soaked. They then added fans and dehumidifiers into the house to allow the base of the floors to dry before installation of the new carpet. We decided it was best to also have the ceramic tile floor removed to prevent mold from setting in underneath the surface. They used a chemical solution on the sub floor and then were able to start the drying process.
They inspected all of the electrical appliances and found that everything was in good working order. Most of our furniture had not been affected by the flooded area. The pieces that were fabric we had cleaned by professional furniture cleaners and removed the wooden furniture and allowed it to dry in the garage.
With the dehumidifiers they brought in, most of the wood moldings and drywall was saved. There was an issue with one patch of drywall in the corner that needed to be replaced. The water restoration company was able to replace that. We did hire a professional painter to come in after the area was dry and our belongings were out of the way drying to paint.
It took a little less than a full week and our home was back to normal. We learned a lot through this process of water restoration. We now keep the door to the room with the majority of pipes closed during the day when we are gone. We have started to turn off the water when we go away for more than a night. Thankfully this happened when we were just gone for the day. Imagine how bad the damage would have been if it would have been allowed to sit for a week. Water restoration professionals know what they are doing and should be called in no matter how small or large the flood in your home. It will save you time and money in the long run preventing mold from being able to grow in your home.