What to Do When You Discover Water Damage

2/5/2023 (Permalink)

When your ceiling is leaking water, give SERVPRO a call

Water damage is one of the most common disasters that can happen to a home. It has the potential to cause thousands of dollars in damage, but luckily it's not too difficult to prevent. In this blog, we'll tell you what to do when you discover water damage in your home or business.

Shut Off Water

Once you've noticed a water loss, it is important to shut off the water supply to the affected area. If you have a shutoff valve near the leak, turn it off. If not and you need to shut off the main water supply, do so immediately by shutting off your main water valve.

Don't panic—remaining calm is one of the most important steps toward getting this situation under control!

Shut Off Electricity

If you've found water damage to your home, the next thing to do is shut off the electricity. This is a safety precaution and should be done regardless of whether or not there is visible damage.

If there's no obvious source of flooding (like a pipe burst), turn off the main breaker. If you're not sure where this is located, call an electrician before proceeding any further with repairs.

If there's an electrical fuse box in your house, turn off its circuit breaker(s). Again: if this isn't something that comes naturally or easily to you, please call an electrician before attempting anything on your own!

Call Your Insurance Company

If you have water damage, don't wait until it's too late. Call your insurance company right away and file a claim so that they can start working on getting you your compensation. You will want to make sure that you inform them of all of the damages that have occurred so that they can cover them in full.

Document the Damage

Next, you need to document the damage. Take photos of all affected areas so that they can be included in your claim, this will help reduce any confusion about what happened or how much money you're owed in restitution from your insurance company. Take pictures of everything you can, including:

• The damaged areas of your home or business
• The location and extent of any standing water (if applicable)
• Any damaged furniture or other items that need to be removed from the area immediately

Most restoration companies, such as SERVPRO, will take care of the entire insurance claims process for you.

Seek Professional Help

If you find yourself in a situation of water damage, it's important to seek professional help as soon as possible. Water is one of the most damaging elements that can occur in your home or business, and even small amounts can cause serious issues if not addressed quickly.

If you are like most people, this may be the first time you've encountered a loss of this magnitude. You might feel overwhelmed by all of the steps involved with getting back on track after experiencing a flood or other type of water damage. Don't worry! The professionals will walk you through each step so that everything goes smoothly for you and your property.

If you've ever had a leaky pipe or water damage, then you know how stressful it can be. Whether the issue is in your home or office, there are many things that need to be addressed immediately. You may have experienced water damage before, but hopefully, this article will help you better understand what needs to happen after such an unfortunate event occurs.

How To Prevent Holiday Fires

12/22/2022 (Permalink)

No matter how severe the fire, SERVPRO is here to help!

Introduction

The holidays are a time for gathering with family and friends, feasting on delicious meals, and celebrating the season. But they're also a time of year when many people accidentally start fires in their homes. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), holiday fires account for more than 30 percent of all residential fires during December, January, and February each year. Despite this high number, there are ways to prevent holiday fires from happening in your home. Here are some tips:

Never leave cooking food unattended.

Accidents happen, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. The best way to avoid a fire is to never leave cooking food unattended. This means when you're using the stove or oven, be sure that someone else is always paying attention — even if you're just putting something in the oven for a few minutes and then coming back later.

Never use your stove or oven to heat your home as well — it's a good idea not to overfill any electrical appliance with too many items plugged into it at once. If there are too many appliances on at once, this could lead to overheating and potential damage of your appliance or even start a fire!

Use battery-operated flameless candles.

If you’re worried about your family and guests being safe this holiday season, consider replacing real candles with battery-operated flameless candles. Candles are a beloved tradition in many homes—but they can also be dangerous if not handled properly. To keep everyone safe, opt for battery-operated flameless candles instead of their traditional counterparts.

These types of candles come in all shapes and styles, from tapered to pillar to scented varieties that make your home smell like a winter wonderland. They may take longer to set up than traditional ones (you must plug them in), but they’re worth the time investment: they look realistic and have just as nice an effect as their flame-light counterparts!

Install a smoke alarm on every story of your home, and in each bedroom.

In addition to taking these steps, you should also make sure your smoke alarm is functioning properly.

To do this, perform a monthly test by pushing the "test" button on your device. If it sounds an alarm, you should change the batteries immediately and continue testing until the unit is working correctly.

Test your smoke alarms once per month.

Test your smoke alarms once per month and change the batteries at least once per year. This is a pressing safety matter, as many fires are started by faulty or dead smoke alarms. Testing your smoke alarm will help prevent accidents and injuries, while also ensuring that you're well-equipped to detect fire and get out safely should one occur.

If you have pets that might interfere with testing, make sure to test when you are home and awake so that any false alarms can be shut off quickly in case of an actual emergency. If possible, test the alarm when someone else is home who can respond quickly if needed.

Keep combustible materials away from the tree and unplug the tree lights at night or when you leave home.

If you have a live tree, be sure to water it frequently. If possible, place the tree in a bucket with water to keep it from drying out. Keep the base of your tree away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, and space heaters. If you have an artificial Christmas tree, make sure it is set up away from flammable items such as curtains or furniture and keep it unplugged when not in use.

Do not overload electrical outlets.

Holiday safety is paramount. In addition to checking the fuses, do not overload electrical outlets.

• Do not plug too many items into one outlet. Plugging in too many appliances or lights into one outlet can cause a short circuit and even start a fire.
• Do not plug extension cords into other extension cords. This causes overcrowding and increases the risk of overheating, which could cause a fire or shock hazard.
• Overloading outlets with too many appliances can also lead to overheating and eventually malfunctioning of the appliance(s). It is best to use multiple power strips instead of multiple outlets if you need extra plugs for various devices such as lamps, televisions, etc., so that each device has its own dedicated power strip with enough capacity for its intended use without causing an overload on any individual circuit breaker in your home's wiring system!"

Never put lit candles on a Christmas tree or near evergreen boughs.

Candles are a great way to add some extra holiday spirit to your home, but they can also cause fires. Never leave lit candles unattended, and never place them near evergreen boughs. Candles can easily ignite the flammable material of garlands and wreaths made from evergreens or other plants with leaves.

If you notice that your house is filling up with smoke from someone else's candle, never enter their house yourself to put out an unattended candle or fire! Instead, call 911 immediately so that the fire department can extinguish the flames before they spread too far and end up destroying your own home as well.

Holiday fires can be prevented through planning and care.

Fire safety is a concern during the holidays, but with planning and care, you can prevent holiday fires.

• Be vigilant with fire safety. Make a plan and stick to it. Check smoke alarms regularly (at least once per month) and test them once per month.
• Know where the fire extinguisher is located in your home - or better yet have one on every floor that you live in and make sure you know how to use it!

Conclusion

In closing, we hope that this guide has helped you to better understand how to prevent holiday fires. It is important to take safety precautions year-round, but especially during the holidays when most people are indoors and more likely to forget about potential risks like candles or cooking fires. If you follow these tips and use common sense when it comes down to it, then you should be able avoid any serious incidents this holiday season!

Fire Damage Restoration

12/22/2022 (Permalink)

Our teams use expert techniques and top-notch technology to restore any home after a fire!

Introduction

When a fire strikes, it can be devastating. No one knows this better than those who have experienced a fire. The destruction and damage that are left behind by a small kitchen mishap can rapidly escalate.

When you need professional restoration services after a fire, there’s only one company to call:  SERVPRO of Northern Queens. We are the leading provider of fire damage restoration services in the state of New York. With years of experience in the industry, we have helped thousands of homeowners recover from disaster and prepare their homes for resale or sale on short notice. Our team is trained to handle all types of fires including electrical fires, natural gas leaks and any other type.

Fire Damage Restoration

Fire damage restoration is important because it allows you to get back to your normal life as quickly as possible. The longer you wait, the longer it will take for your home or business to be fully restored.

Fire damage restoration can be done in a variety of ways depending on the type and extent of fire damage. Some common methods include:

• Deodorizing
• Structural repair
• Inspection/testing

Emergency Fire Damage

• Call us 24/7 – Our fire damage restoration professionals are here for you, no matter what time of day or night you need help.
• Fast response time – We know that when a family is displaced from their home due to a fire, they want to get back into their home as soon as possible. That’s why we respond to your call for service quickly and get the job done right away.
• Experienced crews – Our staff has been trained extensively in all areas relating to fire damage restoration services. They are equipped with the latest tools and techniques needed to do their jobs efficiently, so they can get your home back in tip-top condition as soon as possible!
• Professional service – Our goal is always 100% customer satisfaction.

Smoke & Soot Cleanup

Soot is a byproduct of the combustion process. It's a dark, fine powder that can contain toxic chemicals that can cause respiratory problems if inhaled and skin irritation if it encounters the skin.

Pack-Out Service

If your home or business has suffered damage from a fire and you’re thinking about hiring a restoration company, consider this: After your home or business has been cleaned up and restored, many of the items that were not damaged will need to be packed up and moved out by a professional.

The reasons why this is important are many. First, it’s best practice for safety reasons — if something isn’t properly packed up after cleaning, mold could grow on the surface of an item that was exposed to smoke damage during the cleaning process. Second, packing items can help speed up insurance claims because it allows you to submit photos showing all your property before beginning repairs. Thirdly (and most importantly), having professionals pack-out both parts of your claim helps ensure everything is documented correctly so as not to lose any coverage due to lack of evidence for what was damaged or lost during the incident itself or through subsequent activities surrounding repairs/cleanup efforts.

If there are any questions about whether or not an item needs packing services before being moved out by professionals after being cleaned up following fire damage at home or work, then please contact us today!

Content Cleaning & Restoration

After fire damage, there is often a large amount of residual soot and smoke inside the building. This soot can cause permanent damage to furniture, carpeting, drapes, and other household items if it is not removed quickly. This type of content cleaning is also known as “de-soiling” or “home restoration”. The goal of content cleaning after a fire is to restore your home or business back to its original condition for you to return safely and comfortably.

Odor Removal & Deodorization

Odor removal is a process that aims to eliminate malodors in the air. Odors can be caused by several things, such as fire damage and smoke damage. Smoke contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are chemicals emitted into the air by burning products like furniture or carpeting. Once these VOCs are released into the air, they begin to settle onto items like walls, ceilings, and floors throughout your home—and they stick around for quite some time!

To remove odors from your home after it’s been damaged by fire or smoke, you need effective odor removal services that use specialized equipment to clean away smoke particles from every surface of your property. Deodorization is another type of odor removal service provided by professionals at our company; however, deodorization uses heat instead of chemicals for odor reduction purposes.

Back to Pre-Loss Condition

If you own a home business, the fire damage restoration process is likely to be more complicated than if you have a regular residence.

While your primary concern is to make sure your family and pets are safe, there are other concerns that can arise from a fire in your home. For example, if your business was damaged in the fire, then there may be damage to equipment or inventory as well as lost income due to disruption of normal operations. The first thing you'll want is for an insurance specialist on site who can quickly assess these types of damages and begin documenting them so that an adjuster can determine what's covered by insurance policies and what isn't—and how much it will cost for the repairs or replacement items.

Conclusion

If you have fire damage and need help, Contact our team today at 718-971-1585. Our operators are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

What Can be Salvaged after a House Fire?

12/13/2022 (Permalink)

Soot cleanup

What Happens When a House Catches on Fire

When a house fire occurs, it can be devastating. Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to make yourself feel better about the situation and protect your finances in the process. Before we get into how to salvage what's left of your home after a fire—and how not to get scammed by those who claim they know how—let's talk about what happens when a house catches on fire.

What cannot be salvaged after a house fire?

Food, dishes and utensils: The smoke from a fire will leave an odor on your food. This can be cleaned, but only through extensive cleaning. If you have cooked meat in the refrigerator that has been exposed to smoke for long periods of time, it may not be safe to eat.

Electronics and appliances: Any electronic items that have been exposed to high temperatures for extended periods of time will probably not function again. This includes televisions, computers and other computer equipment such as printers/scanners/fax machines or monitors; telephones; stereo equipment including speakers; microwave ovens etcetera. Anything with circuit boards needs professional evaluation by an expert before attempting any repairs because they may contain toxic materials which could cause further damage should they be handled improperly at this point in time!

Furniture: Furniture made from natural fibers such as cotton is usually damaged beyond repair when exposed directly over long periods of time with no protection from heat sources such as burning embers falling on them directly.

What can be salvaged after a house fire?

Fire damage is not always the end of a home. If you act fast and clean up with care, you can save some of your belongings if you act fast.

If your home has been damaged by fire, take the following steps:

• Take photos of any items that were damaged by smoke or water from firefighting efforts. This will help with insurance claims later.
• Remove any materials that have melted or burned onto other items (like pots on stoves). Don’t try to remove them yourself; call in professionals for this type of work. The damage may be worse than it looks at first glance!

Types of damage after a fire

Fire damage can be extremely difficult to repair, and a house fire can leave you with a lot of valuable items that cannot be salvaged. The following is a list of the most common types of damage after a fire:

• Fire damage to walls and ceilings
• Fire damage to floors
• Fire damage to furniture
• Fire damage to carpets
• Fire damage to clothing, textiles, and upholstery

Fire damage to wood

Wood can be salvaged if it is not burned, water damaged, moldy and/or rotted. However, if the wood has sustained heat damage from the fire it may be necessary to replace a section of the framing. This is because once heat penetrates wood, it changes the grain structure of the wood and makes it more brittle. While you can use this information to help determine whether you should salvage your floorboards after a house fire - there are just too many variables to say with certainty what will happen when you attempt to remove them.

Wood floors are often installed over joists that have been nailed directly into walls rather than supported by beams, which means they're attached only at each end and run unsupported down the middle of rooms like hallways or bedrooms where they're likely exposed more frequently so they're more likely affected by moisture from such things as leaks from plumbing pipes or HVAC systems (heating/cooling).

Fire damage to metal

• Cleaning metal is a relatively simple process.
• Soap, water, and steel wool are all that’s needed to clean up smoke damage on your copper pipes, brass fixtures and other metal pieces.
• To remove the soot from these items, soak them in soapy water for an hour or two before scrubbing them with steel wool. The more stubborn the stain is, you may need to repeat this process several times before it comes off completely.

Fire damage to carpet and flooring

If the fire was contained to a single room, your carpet and flooring can be salvaged. This is especially true of hardwood floors, which are very durable and resistant to fire damage. If you have tile or vinyl flooring, it may not survive as well; however, this can also depend on how long the flames were burning before they were extinguished.

If you suspect any kind of damage to your flooring in general or just want peace of mind that everything is fine, we recommend hiring a professional cleaning crew who specializes in fire restoration after fires have occurred.

Fire-damaged clothing, textiles, and upholstery

Clothing, textiles, and upholstery can be salvaged from a house fire. If you have time before the fire department arrives, remove these items from the home yourself.

Fire-damaged clothing is best cleaned as soon as possible to prevent the spread of smoke odors into other areas of your home. Clothing can be cleaned by hand with detergent and water or machine-washed in cold water on a gentle cycle with mild detergent. Dry at low temperatures on a low setting to avoid excessive shrinking or wrinkling. Use fabric softener if desired to soften clothes that were previously dried on high heat settings like dryers; this will help minimize any stiffness caused by overheating during some laundering methods such as drying clothes in direct sunlight or ironing them while still damp after laundering. 

Call a professional

When you're faced with a fire, one of the first things to do is call 911. If that's not possible, get out of the house and call from a neighbor's phone. The fire department will tell you whether it's safe for you to return or whether it might be better for someone else to help salvage what they can.

If possible, it's best to call professional cleaners before attempting any cleanup yourself (but if an insurance adjuster has already been called, there may not be much point in doing so). If not, here are some tips:

• Don't use water or other cleaning methods on anything that was exposed to heat—it could make things worse!  A vacuum cleaner should also be avoided; instead wrap any objects in towels or paper bags before carrying them outside. If an object is too big for this method, turn off all power sources (like electricity) before trying to move anything large out of the house; if something isn’t plugged in but has electronic elements like batteries or solar panels attached, remove those first!

If you’re dealing with fire damage, don’t wait to call a professional. A house fire can cause significant damage to your home and belongings. If you notice signs of smoke or soot in your property, it’s crucial that you contact an experienced company who knows what they are doing.

What Happens When a Toilet Overflows?

11/8/2022 (Permalink)

A toilet overflow is a serious issue that can cause some major damage to your home.

How Does a Toilet Overflow Happen?

A toilet overflow is a serious issue that can cause some major damage to your home. Water damage can lead to mold and other problems that require extensive cleanup efforts. The main causes of overflows are too much toilet paper, clumps of waste, or roots growing into the pipes. 

Once the water flows over the bowl, it will start to overflow.

If you hear running water in your toilet bowl, this can mean that the toilet is overflowing.

When a toilet has reached its capacity and begins to overflow, it will cause water to spill out of the tank onto the floor. This happens because there isn't enough room for all the water inside the tank to go down into your bowl at once.

When that happens, you'll need to turn off your home's main shutoff valve right away so that no more wastewater flows into your home. If you don't do this quickly enough, wastewater could start flowing into other parts of your house.

A clogged toilet is a common household issue that can cause plenty of problems if left unchecked.

A clogged toilet causes backups, overflows, and sewage backups. Regular maintenance can prevent this from happening in the future, but sometimes it's unavoidable for any number of reasons. If you do find yourself with a clogged toilet you can either try to fix it yourself or call an experienced plumber to help you out.

How to deal with a flooded toilet and how to prevent it from happening again.

It’s important to know how to deal with an overflowing toilet, as well as how to prevent one from happening again.

Preventing a Clogged Toilet

If you’re concerned that your toilet is clogged, there are several things you can check before calling a plumber. First and foremost, try plunging the drain by putting the end of the plunger into the toilet bowl and then pushing it down hard enough to create suction. Then pull up on the plunger handle at least ten times so that water can flow through normally. If this doesn’t work for some reason, try using one cup of baking soda followed by one cup of vinegar to soften whatever may be blocking your pipes. This should help clear away any debris that might be causing problems with drainage flow through your pipes. 

If this isn’t working either (or if these steps aren’t even possible because your bathtub has overflowed), it might be time to call an emergency plumber in order to have them come out and complete repairs—especially if large amounts of sewage have made their way onto floors or other surfaces within reachable distance from where people will be standing during regular use periods when someone might slip on something slippery like that!

If you find yourself with a flooded toilet, call SERVPRO of Northern Queens at 718-971-1585. We can help you with any type of water damage, and we are available 24/7. Our expert technicians will quickly assess the situation and provide you with a solution. Our team will be happy to help you clean up the mess and prevent future issues from occurring.

How Much Revenue Can I Lose After a Fire Damage?

10/12/2022 (Permalink)

Commercial fire damage

What Happens After a Fire Emergency?

Fire is one of the most damaging events that can occur to a commercial property. The risk of fire has increased over time, with statistics showing that on average, one out of every three businesses will suffer a fire sometime in their existence. If this happens to your business, it is important to contact an expert restoration company so they can help you get back to business as soon as possible.

All businesses have a fire safety plan, but what happens after a fire emergency?

A fire damage incident can be a disaster for your business. The devastation of losing all your inventory, important records and equipment can be devastating, but there is a silver lining: you can recover from it.

However, the cost of recovering from a fire damage event will depend on several factors such as how quickly the fire was detected, how much of the building was affected by smoke and water damage, what types of materials were lost in the fire and whether there is insurance coverage to help pay for costs associated with reopening your business.

A good way to determine what type of recovery time you'll need is by looking at similar businesses that have had similar experiences after being damaged by a fire emergency. 

This article covers business interruption insurance and how it can help your business.

Business interruption insurance can help your business recover when it is hit by a disaster. In this article, we'll explain what business interruption insurance is and how it can help your business get back on its feet quickly.

Business interruption insurance (also called "business income" or “re-establishment” coverage) pays for lost profits when disaster strikes. If you have a fire and cannot operate for several weeks or even months, this type of coverage will reimburse you for lost income as well as expenses related to getting back up and running—such as hiring temporary staff, renting office space in another location, purchasing inventory, etc.

Explain the situation from a business’ perspective and what can cause a business interruption and additional expenses.

The best way to explain business interruption insurance and what can cause it is to start with the basics. Business interruption insurance is designed to cover lost revenue, extra expenses, and other costs incurred by a business due to an insured incident. This could be anything from a fire or storm damage that destroys your property, or even something as simple as losing access to your building because of road closures caused by an accident.

Business interruption insurance follows a different timeline than general property coverage. Property coverage typically begins when you first file your claim with your insurance company and ends once you’ve completed repairs or have decided not to rebuild on the same site anymore — either way, at that point you no longer need the protection of any more money coming in through insurance payments (unless there are further issues regarding property ownership). With business interruption coverage however, payments are based on how much profit was lost over time after being unable to operate without access inside their building(s).

The key difference here between these two types of policies has everything about timing involved: one pays out during certain periods while another does so only during certain periods; one covers costs before/after whereas another covers costs only during said periods; etcetera – but both will result in compensation if needed! 

If your commercial property suffers fire damage, an expert restoration company can help you get back to business.

Business interruption insurance is a form of property insurance that covers the costs associated with temporarily ceasing to operate due to fire damage or other covered causes. It can be purchased in addition to general commercial property insurance, or as a standalone policy if you have no other coverage. Business interruption insurance typically includes:

• A cash payout for lost revenue and operating expenses resulting from the destruction of your property
• Financial assistance for hiring new employees to restart your business as quickly as possible
• Protection against third party claims related to loss of income due to legal proceedings

If you’re curious about how much revenue your business can lose after a fire damage, we can help. We can provide an estimate based on the type of business you run and how much time it will take to get back up and running again. If you need help with fire restoration services, give us a call or fill out our contact form today!