Frozen Pipe First Aid
We live in Iowa. It happens. Epic snow storms, sub-zero temps, Ice storms…sometimes our homes just can’t hold up.
The first thing you should do is locate your shut off valve for the water. Do that now, before there is a problem, so that you can get to it quickly when there is a problem. It is usually in the basement, near your water heater.
Next, call a plumber, or if you are a DIYer, be aware there are some major safety precautions you need to take. Lowes.com has some instructions on what to do. The next call you should make is to your insurance agent. Just a heads up, your insurance agent might recommend someone to hire for water restoration, but it is ultimately up to you to choose who to hire. Whether or not your insurance covers water damage from a frozen pipe, it is recommended to have a professional do the restoration work. It is important to get everything dried quickly and thoroughly, or you may end up with a mold/mildew problem in the future.
The next step is to call us. In most cases, with a fresh water spill, most structural materials can be dried and cleaned to its previous condition. The more quickly we can get the water extracted from the carpet and pad and the drying process under way the less chance there will be for mold and mildew to start growing. With our truck mounted equipment and special Water Claw extraction tool we are able to remove a majority of the water from the carpet and pad and reduce the drying time for these materials. We can then install high speed air movers and commercial dehumidifiers to accelerate evaporation of the remaining moisture. A note about shop vacs: while these may work fine to vacuum up water from hard surfaces, they do not have nearly enough power to pull all of the moisture from carpet and carpet padding. These materials need to be extracted with professional equipment.
Once everything is dry, your carpet and pad is professionally re-installed, then cleaned and sanitized with our Hot water extraction technique.
Before we arrive, get everything you can off and away from the wet floors, then let Steamway Craftsmen do the rest!
The first thing you should do is locate your shut off valve for the water. Do that now, before there is a problem, so that you can get to it quickly when there is a problem. It is usually in the basement, near your water heater.
Next, call a plumber, or if you are a DIYer, be aware there are some major safety precautions you need to take. Lowes.com has some instructions on what to do. The next call you should make is to your insurance agent. Just a heads up, your insurance agent might recommend someone to hire for water restoration, but it is ultimately up to you to choose who to hire. Whether or not your insurance covers water damage from a frozen pipe, it is recommended to have a professional do the restoration work. It is important to get everything dried quickly and thoroughly, or you may end up with a mold/mildew problem in the future.
The next step is to call us. In most cases, with a fresh water spill, most structural materials can be dried and cleaned to its previous condition. The more quickly we can get the water extracted from the carpet and pad and the drying process under way the less chance there will be for mold and mildew to start growing. With our truck mounted equipment and special Water Claw extraction tool we are able to remove a majority of the water from the carpet and pad and reduce the drying time for these materials. We can then install high speed air movers and commercial dehumidifiers to accelerate evaporation of the remaining moisture. A note about shop vacs: while these may work fine to vacuum up water from hard surfaces, they do not have nearly enough power to pull all of the moisture from carpet and carpet padding. These materials need to be extracted with professional equipment.
Once everything is dry, your carpet and pad is professionally re-installed, then cleaned and sanitized with our Hot water extraction technique.
Before we arrive, get everything you can off and away from the wet floors, then let Steamway Craftsmen do the rest!
