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Dealing With Water Damage After a House Fire

 

It’s critical to move promptly to clean up and restore your property if water damage occurs during the process of putting out a house fire.

Homeowners should keep in mind that although some service providers tackle property damage in a “one size fits all” manner, others offer a tailored strategy.

Let’s look at some of the types of water damage that can occur during a house fire.

Types of Water Damage

Damage from Clean Water

According to the IICRC, Category 1 water damage is the least serious and includes water from various appliances, overflowed sinks and bathtubs, broken water supply lines, and burst pipes.

This kind of damage is generally regarded as less serious because “clean water,” or water that is devoid of toxins and sewage, is involved.

Most goods that are damaged in category 1 accidents can typically be dried quickly and readily without having any negative long-term implications for the property owner as long as they also weren’t damaged by smoke or fire.

Damage from Gray Water

Gray water is the subject of Category 2 water damage. This includes backup water from sump pumps and plumbing fixtures like toilets and washing machines that are damaged in a house fire.

If your home has suffered category 2 water damage, it is crucial to remove any contaminated things and thoroughly clean since the waste and chemicals in gray water may later prove to be toxic. Humans may or may not be harmed by drinking or coming into contact with gray water.

Damage from Black Water

The most severe type of water damage, known as black water damage, necessitates quick intervention to reduce serious health hazards.

Sewage as well as river and ground water, are all examples of black water. When category 3 water damage happens, a large number of goods and materials must be removed from your house, and your home needs extensive cleaning after drying has taken place.

Now that we understand the different types of water damage let’s take a closer look at what to expect after a house fire.

Water Damage Can be Worse Than Fire Damage

Hundreds of liters of water can be used to put out a fire. As you may expect, there can be issues brought on by that much water that require rapid attention.

In other words, although you should be grateful that the fire spared your house or place of business, you still have a lot of work to do. As a matter of fact, water damage is just as destructive and can often lead to unanticipated repair costs. If these costs become too overwhelming, you might find it more feasible to sell a fire-damaged house instead of investing in extensive repairs.

Water damage might necessitate expensive repairs to protect your health as well as the well-being of your home.

The Problem With Water

The problematic thing about water is that it may get into places that are not easy to see and if the water remains there for long it can cause extensive damage and raise the cost of repairs. Of course, some water damage is evident and can be seen as readily as you can see smoke and fire damage.

The first step with preventing or minimizing water damage is to quickly remove water and fire damaged items from a house.

Once the majority of the damaged things have been removed, you need to start cleaning and sanitizing what remains right away.

Depending on the severity of the damage, you may have to repeat cleaning the same areas of the house several times throughout this process. The finest tools to utilize to minimize significant health concerns are bleach solutions and other disinfectants.

Watch for Mold

Mold is a significant issue that can be challenging to manage after a fire. There are various mold species, and you don’t want any of them in your house or place of business, but black mold is particularly dangerous.

The cleaning stage is essential for preventing the growth of mold, but you should also do a thorough check of every area of your residence or place of business and return to those locations even after the restoration is finished to make sure mold isn’t developing there.

Check for Affected Wood

Any porous item, like hardwood furniture and floors, will absorb water very rapidly and become damaged as a result. Remove any wood that has been severely damaged and saturated.

Search for any indications of water damage on the floors, cabinets, and doors. The safest course of action is to dispose of it, even if you might be inclined to save part of it.

Check for Ceiling Damage

Whether you are restoring your property or thinking of selling a fire-damaged house, your ceilings should be examined while repairs are made after the fire. Damaged ceilings run the possibility of collapse, adding to the harm already done to your house or place of business.

If you have ceiling panels, you can replace them as necessary, but other ceiling types might require a total replacement. After a fire, inspecting and fixing damaged ceilings is laborious work, so you might want to seek professional assistance.

Assess Damage to Drywall

It’s possible that the drywall sustained most of the water damage, depending on the size of the fire and the quantity of water used to put it out. Although dealing with drywall damage is unpleasant, it is preferable to the alternative – which is rotting wood.

Drying wet drywall may allow you to save some of it, but some areas will need to be removed and replaced. To save time and money, you could choose to patch your drywall only where it is damaged.

Just make sure you or your contractor gets rid of all damaged drywall, you don’t want mold developing there.

Don’t Forget Seals

The seals around appliances and items like bathtubs and toilets will be weakened if water has been standing in your residence or place of work for a long time. You run the danger of severe injury if these seals crack or come loose.

Examine each seal, take out any that are broken, and fix with caulk.

Be Careful With Electrical Wiring

It’s possible that the wiring and electrical fixtures in your house have suffered damage to the point that they now present a fire hazard on their own.

Your electrical appliances, including laptops and televisions, most likely also sustained damage from the fire, smoke, and water. These should frequently be replaced and might be protected by your insurance.

If you feel that your electrical systems have been damaged in any way and you are not qualified to handle it, call a professional immediately.

Avoid Stressful Repairs

If you want to avoid a stressful repair process with your fire-damaged house you can sell it in as-is condition to We Buy Fire Damaged Houses. We pay all cash so you can get your money fast and move on with your life.

Fill out the form below to see if your burned home qualifies for a free quote.

 

Photo by Michael & Diane Weidner on Unsplash

 

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