You might not be able to stop a hurricane or a flood from causing water damage to your home, but what you can stop are a lot of things in your home that can cause the same kind of damage, just on a smaller scale. They are quite simple and although you might forget to do them from time to time, as long as you make sure to check at least every once in a while, you (and your wallet) will be better protected against the surprise expense of water damage remediation.
One of the most frequent offenders of water damage tends to be the water heater itself. This should be located somewhere on the lowest floor of your home and in a drain pan connected to a pipe or hose that drains back into the sewer. This will make sure that even if your water heater does burst or begins to leak slowly, the water will not go into the floor, but down the drain. Most water heaters should be located in the basement and a leaky water heater down there is not going to be as much of a problem as one on the second or even third level of a home.
Make sure you have your rain gutters cleaned out at the end of autumn when the leaves have stopped falling. Your rain gutters are what keep water from simply sliding off your roof and settling around the foundation of your home. Water that collects around your home’s foundation can cause it to sink into the ground and even though this is a slow process, it can do a significant amount of damage to your home’s value. The downspouts should also be clear of any debris and water channeled away from the foundation. Soil around the base of your home should also be at such an angle that water naturally flows away from it.
Keep an eye on the pipes or hoses that go to your dishwasher and your clothes washer in the laundry room. Hoses can develop weak spots over time and develop leaks that can leave you in a huge mess, especially if you happen to be away from home at the grocery store or a friend’s when the leak begins.
Water damage can also be prevented by not forgetting that you have bath water running or water running in the kitchen sink. Overflowing sinks and tubs account for a lot of damage like this and can coat your floor with more water than you think in a very short period of time.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York Basement Water extraction and other states and cities such as
new york city mold remediation companies across the united states.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Water and Mold in the Home
Seeing as how the kitchen and the bathroom are the two rooms that can add or subtract the most value from your home when you go to sell it, it would make quite a bit of sense to keep these two rooms in the best condition possible. These two rooms, however, are also subject to some of the most serious problems a homeowner can face: water damage and mold contamination, which tend to go hand in hand.
Keeping the shower and bath tub cleaned regularly of mildew (another word for mold) is a good idea to keep it in good condition.
Water damage occurs when water comes into contact with your floor or anything else in your home and is not cleaned up properly. It can cause floors to buckle and cause what is called “cupping” if you try to dry it out too fast, so cleaning up water spilled on hardwood floors (or in a home that has flooded) can be pretty tricky. Since mold likes to live wherever water damaged items are and wherever there is moisture, where there is water damage, mold usually follows on some level or another.
Water damage can also result from simply not having a vent installed in the bathroom or kitchen to allow the steam from bathing or cooking to escape the room. If not directed to the outside of the house through one of these vents, the steam will float up to the ceiling and soak it. Mold eventually starts to grow in these places and you will have to replace the drywall. Even if mold does not start to grow, you will probably have to replace the drywall eventually, anyway, because the paper on the front of the drywall will start to separate and sag. This is not dangerous, but it is unsightly.
Water damage also occurs when you allow a toilet or bath tub to overflow and you do not clean up the water sufficiently. If you have a vinyl or tile floor in the bathroom, this is a good thing. This creates a barrier between the water and the flood underneath, since the tile or laminate should not absorb much, if any, water. If you have carpet in your bathroom, this is a bad thing. Water will be absorbed by the carpet, the padding underneath, and depending on the amount of water on the floor, the base of the floor underneath will also be soaked. Mold will eventually start to grow if you do not make sure and get as much of the water up as possible.
In the kitchen, water damage and mold growth can be prevented by keeping a check on the plumbing going to your dishwasher and your sink. Having a vinyl and not a hardwood floor in your kitchen is the best thing, but spills need to be cleaned up as quickly as possible.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey mold inspections and other states and cities such as
north carolina mold inspections companies across the united states.
Keeping the shower and bath tub cleaned regularly of mildew (another word for mold) is a good idea to keep it in good condition.
Water damage occurs when water comes into contact with your floor or anything else in your home and is not cleaned up properly. It can cause floors to buckle and cause what is called “cupping” if you try to dry it out too fast, so cleaning up water spilled on hardwood floors (or in a home that has flooded) can be pretty tricky. Since mold likes to live wherever water damaged items are and wherever there is moisture, where there is water damage, mold usually follows on some level or another.
Water damage can also result from simply not having a vent installed in the bathroom or kitchen to allow the steam from bathing or cooking to escape the room. If not directed to the outside of the house through one of these vents, the steam will float up to the ceiling and soak it. Mold eventually starts to grow in these places and you will have to replace the drywall. Even if mold does not start to grow, you will probably have to replace the drywall eventually, anyway, because the paper on the front of the drywall will start to separate and sag. This is not dangerous, but it is unsightly.
Water damage also occurs when you allow a toilet or bath tub to overflow and you do not clean up the water sufficiently. If you have a vinyl or tile floor in the bathroom, this is a good thing. This creates a barrier between the water and the flood underneath, since the tile or laminate should not absorb much, if any, water. If you have carpet in your bathroom, this is a bad thing. Water will be absorbed by the carpet, the padding underneath, and depending on the amount of water on the floor, the base of the floor underneath will also be soaked. Mold will eventually start to grow if you do not make sure and get as much of the water up as possible.
In the kitchen, water damage and mold growth can be prevented by keeping a check on the plumbing going to your dishwasher and your sink. Having a vinyl and not a hardwood floor in your kitchen is the best thing, but spills need to be cleaned up as quickly as possible.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey mold inspections and other states and cities such as
north carolina mold inspections companies across the united states.
The Mold Remediation Equipment You Need
Depending on how much mold needs to be removed from your home, the equipment that you will need in order to finish the job will vary greatly. If you cannot afford to hire a professional and plan on doing the entire job yourself, you probably want to know the best and safest way to complete the job. If you do not take care, you should realize that kind of biological hazard that you are exposing yourself to if you do not purchase the right level of protection equipment. This can include aggravation of your asthma, emphysema, the occurrence of skin rashes, respiratory infections, and eye infections can result, among other health complications. If you are sure you want to take on this job by yourself, consider yourself warned.
Washing mold off of drywall or other porous surfaces with chemicals will work only on a superficial level. It will not kill the mold that has worked its way into the depth of the drywall and contaminated the other side in the wall. Most drywall that becomes contaminated with mold will need to be completely replaced. If the mold growth appears to be light and you catch it new, you might be able to avoid this. Purchase heavy duty trash bags that will hold all the contaminated materials that you remove from the home, but make sure to not touch contaminated items to non-contaminated items, because of the possibility of cross-contamination.
Respirators should be used when doing any kind of mold remediation job. An N-95 respirator is recommended at the very least for light jobs and for more extensive jobs, a full face respirator with a HEPA filter should be purchased. These larger jobs are usually done on older houses that are being renovated and almost completely gutted to remove contamination, but any job that requires removing drywall and throwing it away requires a respirator of some level. A full face mask will cost you around $130. Protective clothing can also be purchased, such as rubber gloves and shoes that will not allow the mold spores to come into contact with your skin.
A vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter will also help you tremendously when you are cleaning your home after the remediation is done. This will collect all the mold spores and particles from your floor and carpet and deposit them into a receptacle that you can empty when you are done. Be careful emptying this container, though, and do not touch the contents with your bare hands. Do not stir up the contents any more than you have to in order to get them into the trash bag.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey mold inspections and other states and cities such as
north carolina mold inspections companies across the united states.
Washing mold off of drywall or other porous surfaces with chemicals will work only on a superficial level. It will not kill the mold that has worked its way into the depth of the drywall and contaminated the other side in the wall. Most drywall that becomes contaminated with mold will need to be completely replaced. If the mold growth appears to be light and you catch it new, you might be able to avoid this. Purchase heavy duty trash bags that will hold all the contaminated materials that you remove from the home, but make sure to not touch contaminated items to non-contaminated items, because of the possibility of cross-contamination.
Respirators should be used when doing any kind of mold remediation job. An N-95 respirator is recommended at the very least for light jobs and for more extensive jobs, a full face respirator with a HEPA filter should be purchased. These larger jobs are usually done on older houses that are being renovated and almost completely gutted to remove contamination, but any job that requires removing drywall and throwing it away requires a respirator of some level. A full face mask will cost you around $130. Protective clothing can also be purchased, such as rubber gloves and shoes that will not allow the mold spores to come into contact with your skin.
A vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter will also help you tremendously when you are cleaning your home after the remediation is done. This will collect all the mold spores and particles from your floor and carpet and deposit them into a receptacle that you can empty when you are done. Be careful emptying this container, though, and do not touch the contents with your bare hands. Do not stir up the contents any more than you have to in order to get them into the trash bag.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey mold inspections and other states and cities such as
north carolina mold inspections companies across the united states.
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