Sansara 24/7 Restoration Leaves No Moisture Behind
Regardless of the source, when water intrudes into your St. Louis home, all building materials on its path are vulnerable to devastating damage. Visible standing water obviously requires cleanup, delivered with skill by Sansara 24/7 Restoration IICRC-certified technicians. Still, homeowners must realize how important diligent searching for hidden and trapped liquid water and absorbed moisture and subsequent removal and complete drying are to successful restoration efforts.
Risks of Hidden Water
When dealing with water damage, out of sight cannot be out of mind. Moisture that remains inside your home after the extraction of standing water poses multiple hazards:
- Unseen structural materials, including lathes, framing, metal fasteners and supports, and subfloors and joists, can swell, distort, and weaken to the point where walls and ceilings can collapse.
- Mold spores can encounter water or moisture and begin growth cycles that severely damage damp organic materials (mold consumes wood and other cellulose products found everywhere in a home’s structural framework). They can also emit airborne byproducts and a heavy spore load that can cause adverse respiratory symptoms in susceptible individuals.
- Electrical and other utility lines can rust when exposed to persistent moisture, causing short circuits and leaks that can lead to fires and emission of toxic fumes.
Challenges of Predicting Water Migration
Cliches about water behavior abound. For example, it is common to hear that water follows the “path of least resistance.” A significant challenge to this truism is mapping that path once water flows into building cavities. It is reasonable to expect water to head downhill, moving directly to lower levels. However, once inside the “skeleton” of your house, moisture meanders, hitching rides on smooth plumbing conduits (metal and plastic) or wiring. The flow can zigzag across wooden supports and get bogged down in insulation. Water wicks in softwood elements, like a sponge, bonding with the surface and the interior.
Mapping Tools
Sansara 24/7 Restoration is up to the challenge. We trace a blueprint of the watery web so professional extraction and drying can remove the residual moisture.
- Specially trained technicians use non-invasive moisture detectors to sweep ceilings, walls, and floors for a quick scan, providing broadly-based evidence of moisture.
- Penetrating (pin-type) moisture meters then help “pinpoint” the water migration more accurately. They also measure (meter) the exact moisture content, which is useful when deciding which areas to focus on first and setting drying goals.
- Thermal imaging is another resource offered by Sansara, which uses an infrared camera that reveals temperature patterns. A trained technician evaluates it to determine whether and where moisture hides behind surfaces.
Depend on the IICRC-certified experts at Sansara 24/7 Restoration & Remodeling to assess and plan for comprehensive water removal in your St. Louis residence. Call us at (636) 812-3838 to schedule a prompt on-site evaluation and provision of emergency services to return your home to a clean, sanitary, dry, and comfortable condition.