Way to Help Mitigate Damage

9/13/2021 (Permalink)

One of our main concerns in the cleaning and restoration industry is to mitigate damage when it occurs with the overall main goal of preventing further damage. Obviously, we cannot prevent “acts of God” but there are a few relatively easy and cost-efficient tasks that go a long way to help mitigate damage or potential damage. Let’s cover a few of these tasks that relate specifically to spring.

- One of the first things we can do, and potentially the easiest, is going to your local hardware store and purchase an aerosol can of lubricant for the float shaft of your sump pump. Depending on each home’s setup this pump tends to get more use in the spring/summer months. If there are some days during the winter in which this pump is not used as much and rust can form on the shaft your float is on. This can make your pump stick to and burn your pump or malfunction
the other way and not remove water and cause flooding in your home.

- Second…gutters. I know it is not convenient but grabs your ladder and clean gutters, or at least the downspouts. One of the easiest ways for water to enter your home is a gutter or downspout being plugged. There is a board behind your gutter called the facia board. Water typically flows over the edge of the gutter and through the edges of this board immediately accessing the tresses, rafters, ceiling materials, etc. With a little bit of time and inconvenience, a lot of potential damage can be avoided.

- Third. Check your HVAC unit and all the systems and components associated. Do a visual
inspection and make sure there is no debris in the ac unit located outside. Check vents and
registers making sure that there are no obstructions to the flow of air. Keeping good air
movement in your home can help prevent mold and odor. Potentially the most important is the
replacement of HVAC filter/filters. These filters trap a lot of particulates but if the routine
replacement does not happen that particulate can be redistributed throughout your home.
Replacement of filters also helps to mitigate the threat of fire.

- Finally, windows. With the dramatic temperature changes and condensation, windows can move slightly. In some instances, this movement can be enough to let in precipitation, bugs, dust, etc. The condensation around windows can be a starting point for mold too. Keep an eye on the frame of windows and if necessary, a simple spray of mold killer can keep microbial growth to a minimum.