A burst pipe or a leaky washing machine hose – and the cellar or apartment is already under water. Damage caused by water is one of the most common and expensive damage in buildings. Often the trigger of water damage is fire damage. The damage caused by extinguishing liquid is usually even greater than that caused by the fire.
Taking out household insurance or building insurance covers this damage and is therefore strongly recommended. In the following overview, we explain what to look for in the event of water damage and the subsequent renovation.
The accident happened. What now?
Oh dear! Now there are some immediate measures to be observed:
- shut-off water
- Turn off the power
- Aspirate the liquid as far as possible
- Move household items and devices to a safe place
- Place plastic wedges under furniture to protect it
- Freeze important documents that have gotten wet in the freezer
- Call companies for water damage restoration
- Inform building insurance
- Turn up the heating fully in winter, open windows in summer
How does a professional water damage restoration work?
After the damage has occurred and a company has been instructed by telephone to carry out the water damage restoration, the damage inspection takes place on site. Although moisture does not “eat” its way through the walls as quickly as fire, water damage can negatively affect the quality of living in the long term, for example if the renovation is not carried out professionally and mold forms.
Bad-Flood
Professional companies offering water damage rehabilitation are not only in demand during floods.
So, choose the company for the water damage restoration near me or for the fire damage restoration or building drying carefully and pay attention to quality! Many companies that perform dehumidification are also experts in belt damage restoration and building drying. Inquire about the availability of leak detection equipment.
- The craftsman makes an initial assessment and creates a cost estimate. Important: Before the water damage is repaired, the expert should document the damage completely (e.g., with photos)! This is necessary so that the insurance company pays for the damage.
- Forward the cost estimate to the insurance company
- Modern renovation companies locate hidden pipe bursts with modern measuring devices or thermal imaging cameras; this leak location saves tedious searching. In Austria and in larger cities such as Vienna and Salzburg, most experts now have leak detection equipment.
- Defective parts (e.g., pipes) are replaced
- After the location of the broken pipe has been determined or the cause of the water damage has been remedied, dehumidification or repair of the damage begins
- This is followed by an odor neutralization if wastewater has escaped
- As part of the water damage restoration, all trades to restore the status quo before the incident are carried out
- Either the restructuring experts or the policyholder himself takes care of the processing with the insurance company
