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It is a disaster when all, or part, of your home is flooded and there is standing water in it. How do you get rid of the standing water, what kind of equipment is there to accomplish the removal, and should you seek professional help? It is critical that as much of the standing water be removed quickly. The damage that standing water can cause will increase rapidly as the hours pass. Depending on the type of water involved and the materials that are wet, mold can begin to grow in as little as 24 hours.
A Note of Caution
Entering a room or area that is flooded, even if the water is only one inch or less deep, can run the risk of electrocution. Make sure that the electrical power for that room or area is turned off. If the circuit breakers can’t be reached due to the flood, have an electrician or the power company disconnect the power to the entire home.
Next you need to consider the source of the water. Water from a plumbing break or an appliance will require only basic personal protective gear, such as rubber boots and gloves. If the water is from a sanitary sewer or a toilet overflow, you might want to stay clear of it a seek professional help.
Standing Water Removal
Extraction and evaporation are the only two ways of removing water from a flooded home. Extraction is physical while evaporation requires following the laws of nature. It is 500 times easier to extract water than it is to evaporate it.
Extraction can be accomplished by several methods. The water can be squeegeed, mopped, swept, vacuumed, or pumped out with a submersible pump. When extracting water from a room, you should start in the center of the room. That way you will be able to move any contents to the center while you extract around the perimeter of the room. What is important is not how much water is removed but how much is left behind. Any water left behind must be removed by evaporation (500 times harder) or you risk having mold begin to develop. The amount of water that remains after extraction will add to the time needed to completely dry the structure.
Vacuum Extraction Tools
Vacuuming is one of the easiest and most efficient ways of removing standing water. And many homeowners will reach first for their wet/dry shop vac. One thing to consider though is the weight of the water to be removed. Each gallon of water weighs roughly 8 pounds. If you are using a 5-gallon shop vac, each time you empty it you will be carrying 40 pounds of water. A 20 x 20 room with only 1 inch of standing water means there are about 250 gallons of water present. If you wet-vacuumed up every drop of water (which is nearly impossible with any vacuum tool) you would have to empty your shop vac 50 times and end up carrying 2,000 pounds of water. Are you sure you are up for that much physical work?
The better choice would be to contact a professional water removal and structural drying company like Water Mold Fire Restoration. Professional companies have the ability to remove more water at a faster rate which will help limit the damage caused by the water. They can then follow that up with the drying equipment needed to evaporate any hidden or trapped water that may remain, water that has saturated flooring or soaked into walls and personal furnishings. WMF Restoration can be reached at 800-905-0277 or at help@watermoldfire.net. Our initial inspection and estimate are always free of charge and without any obligation.
