Most houses in Arizona have sprinklers attached to their ceilings for emergency fire prevention. These fire sprinklers may reduce the damage that is caused by minor fires but also increase damage done by the water as all usually the sprinklers turn on at the same time, even if the fire is restricted to one room only. All it takes is one small whiff of smoke and before you know it, your entire house is flooded with water running down the hallway and ruining everything in its path.
That is why we believe sprinkler damage is also a major threat that must be acknowledged and properly dealt with. We have different categories to deduce how much water damage has occurred to your property and sprinkler damage is high up on the list as it causes a high amount of water saturation indoors.
High-level water saturation is extremely difficult to dry and dehumidify as water finds itself deep within rugs and carpets in your house. In case of wooden households, water can be absorbed by the walls which can cause them to weaken and buckle under heavy weight. It also makes the wood soggy. Most houses in the country are largely made of wood (ceilings, flooring etc.), so extra care is to be given to wooden houses as a small pipe leak can wreak havoc if not taken care of quickly.
Sprinkler water also leads to the formation of mold and other wood rotting fungi if left untreated. You may think that the amount of water released by the sprinklers isn’t enough to cause mold; however, even a small amount of water that is not removed in a timely fashion supports mold growth, which can gradually lead to the destruction of your house even years after you have gotten rid of the excess sprinkler water.
Phoenix Flood Force pays extra attention to mold formation and uses the highest quality mildewcide to treat mold formation and infestation. Our particular brand prevents future mold production and ensures that your woodwork and walls remain mold-free for a very long time.
The Restoration Process
If your fire sprinklers go off and start to flood your house, that means there is a possibility of a fire that may or may not subside on its own. That is a different process and you should refer to our fire damage restorations page for more information.
Another thing to remember is that the water left behind by the fire sprinkler needs to be cleared immediately to prevent damage to:
● All the surfaces in your house
● Wood or other floorings that are affected by water
● Important paperwork that have no copies or substitutes
● Overall building structure as water is a good source of energy for molds and other fungi
A major concern is the fire that caused the sprinklers to go off in the first place. It could be a small or large fire and under both circumstances, you should check our fire damage restorations page for tips on what to do until we arrive.
Here is the standard procedure that we use for our sprinkler water damage restoratiion which has set a benchmark since the inauguration of our organization, and continues to satisfy our clients’ expectations time and time again:
1. Scout
The first step is to scout the location as well as the damage done to your property before considering the next steps. When you contact us, our workers reach the location as fast as possible and without wasting any time, start salvaging your goods and possessions, while deciding on an ideal course of action
All this while our lead representative will be observing the damage and explains the restoration process to you.
He will be able to tell you the estimated time and cost it will take to get the job done.
2. Water Removal
After the scouting is done, our workers will remove water from the affected area. Our truck-mounted water suction pump ensures that large amounts of water is easily sucked out in the least amount of time. The faster we remove the water, the more of your possessions we can save and restore your space back to its original condition.
Naturally certain things can get irrevocably destroyed after coming into contact with water only once such as art pieces, edible items, paperwork etc and whilst we cannot guarantee the safety of those, what we can do is include it in your insurance plan or take other suitable precautions.
The chances of contamination always increase considerably if there is any stagnant water body that is not removed and is present in dark and unreachable spaces.
The problem with sprinkler water is that even though it is clean, if all of it is not cleared from the area, it could lead to devastating consequences such as mold formation and water saturation in the wood.
3. Property Restoration
Next, we will remove all the items that have been permanently damaged. You can get access to these items and see if they are of any use to you or if you would like to do away with them.
We have state of the art moving trucks that assist us in relocating all the undamaged goods to a safe house until they can be returned to you. Removal of undamaged goods is also done in case there is a risk of contamination. Until the time your house is fully secure and safe, you have the option of transporting all your belongings to our safe house/storage units.
Once everything returns back to its original state, we will place all your belongings safely back to where they were initially, without anything being misplaced, damaged, or lost. That is more than what other companies will promise you, but for us it is an everyday practice.
4. Decontamination
The water present inside your fire sprinklers is normally clean so there is no urgent need to decontaminate the affected areas. However, places which are hard to reach such as the insides of the walls may need decontamination if the water that is present is not removed on a timely basis.
The biggest threats of stagnant water is mold buildup as well as a higher likelihood of diseases such as Malaria and Dengue Fever as stagnant water is a favourite for mosquitoes to breed and spread such deadly diseases.
The smell that’s left in the wake of water lying around is another factor which can cause nausea as well as sickness, especially amongst younger family members which is something your family shouldn’t have to cope with. That is why we use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) to filter and clean the contaminated atmosphere in your home that may be sickening especially for infants and senior citizens who have a weaker immune system than the average person.
5. Drying and Dehumidification
This is perhaps the most important step in the process. The overall moisture level of the building needs to be controlled so that there is no more damage that occurs later on. Using an intricate system of air blowers as well as dehumidification units, we ensure that the moisture content of the place is below hazardous levels. And we monitor the progress using the highest quality technology and gadgets.
Your carpets, rug, high wiring area as well as electric circuits, all need to be free of moisture in order to serve their purpose well. With that said, we trust you to make the best decision as we also understand the grief and anguish that you might experience during the process. We will try our level best to decrease the damage done to your property and offer you peace of mind and closure quickly, when restoring your living space to its original state.
Our operators are present round the clock to assist and aid you in any query that you might have about our services. Just call Phoenix Flood Force any time at (480) 339-0086 and we will put all your restoration worries to rest.