Water and Flood Damage Repair

While San Diego doesn’t often experience environmental flooding from heavy rain and overflowing rivers, flooding and water damage in San Diego caused by broken pipes, leaks in water heaters, and washing machines is very common. No matter the size of the flood, the key to preventing and repairing water damage is doing a thorough job and starting immediately after a flood. Carpets, tile and furniture that remain wet (even damp) for more than 12 hours run the risk of beginning to mildew and mold, as well as increasing the existence of allergens like bacteria and fungi. For this reason, we respond to water damage calls on a 24-7 basis. If you have water damage, do not wait! Call immediately for an appointment, no matter the time of day.

What to do if you have water damage:

Aside from calling a professional for assistance right away, here are few things you’ll need to know:

Handling water from a flood, leaking pipe, or large spill is race against time. The race is to get the area dried out before damage occurs (or with minimal damage) and before mold can begin to form. Preventing the spread of water damage and preventing mold requires both speed and thorooughness.

Flood and water damage can be frightening for home owners, here are some tips to consider:

1. Be safe:

• If you are able to safely do so, make sure to turn off all circuit breakers supplying electricity to the flooded area of your home. Also remember to remove all small electrical devices.

• Avoid all mold and dangerous gases

2. Be Covered (Insurance Documentation)

• Be sure to take pictures of the damaged area as soon as possible to accurately document the flooding for your insurance provider.

3. Be Fast

• Speed of cleanup is key to preventing the damage from worsening, in particular, preventing the development of mold and fungus and greater expense in cleanup. Mold begins to form in as little as 48 hours. If you have water damage, act now. Speed can be the difference between a small project and a large problem. 

What we do - The basic stages of flood repair:

1. Safety checks

Our first step is to ensure that the area is safe. This includes an evaluation of the electrical power and any potential formation of gases. Our cleanup crews and equipment are capable of running off our own power from diesel powered pumps and generators in the event power is not safely available on site.

In addition to helping with dryout, adequate ventilation provides additional safety from airborne hazards; we establish ventilation right away as an additional measure of safety.

2. Remove standing water

Standing water is removed with electic pumps that operate submerged in water. There are many kinds and sizes and we use the number and type best suited for your situation, with careful handling of electrical power around water.

3. Dryout

After removing all standing water, dryout is done by setting up dehumidifiers, fans and other special equipement for extraction. For all but the smallest instances of water damage, the equipment needed is professional grade, high-capacity equipement that is not available at home stores and not practical to purchase for the do it yourselfer.

The types of equipment include:

High capacity fans (image)

Dehumidifiers (image)

Floor suction devices (name?) (image)

Other? (image)

4. Damage Repair

After dryout, some level of repair is normally needed. For small or large projects, the types of damage are usually a variety, including: stains, hardwood floor damage, drywall repairs, and carpet/ carpet-matting repairs, wood trim and molding. Hot Style offers full-service repairs to provide one-stop repair service, providing a faster, more seamless process instead of hiring multiple contractors.

Hot Style is available 24 hours a day for your water and flood damage emergencies and can help minimize and repair permanent water damage to your carpet, furniture, upholstery, tile and grout.

Call Hot Style 911 at 619 292 2201 for your free consultation!

MYTH: Turning up the heat is a good idea to help dry up water

FACT: While the warmer temperature helps some in drying, it’s a bad idea overall because carpets, fabrics and tile drying at a warm temperature (75 degrees F and higer) are like petri dishes of bacteria, fungi and mold. Heat makes mold and ‘dryout’ is a race against time already to beat the mold. Turning up the heat give you less time to dry out.

Opening windows and ensuring good air flow is always good, but warmer temperatures should be avoided. The key to preventing long-term damage is thoroughness when removing the water from the carpets, furniture, upholstery and tile.