Water Mitigation

Water is a powerful element that has become humanity's closest friend. Yet, sometimes, water can be a real disaster. There are lots of reasons why your property can get damaged by water, but all of them result in a similar way. You need water damage mitigation ASAP to minimize the scale of damage.

It is not a surprise that water damage issues are among the most common ones in insurance practice. They cost billions of dollars per year. In addition to extra expenses caused by water damage to your house, there are lots of negative consequences of this disaster ranging from mold growth to possible electricity collapse and electric shock, which can lead to death issues. Water mitigation helps to cope with the flooding.
Let's look into it in more detail.

What Is Water Mitigation?

In the simplest terms, water mitigation is an alarm response to any case of water leaks. No matter if it is just a small leak in the washer or a real flood running out of the broken pipes. In general, water damage mitigation is a complex of actions directed to removing water from the premises and drying out all the humidity. In some cases, water mitigation is up to you. Yet, when the flooding is disastrous, the help of professional servicemen working with industrial dryers and fans is necessary.

Water mitigation is a complex process that needs urgent measures to be taken and time to get rid of all the damage. In some cases, it isn't limited just to water removal. It also includes repair and restoration services, as well as mold elimination ones.

If there is a small leak with some puddles around you, you can apply your DIY skills to deal with it. In this case, you can be guided by our tips listed below:

1. Protect yourself. To avoid electric shock, put on rubber boots and gloves. Then, turn off the electricity supply to the entire apartment or house. Be sure that the extension cords do not accidentally fall into the water. If you doubt that you will be able to properly de-energize your home, it is better to entrust this work to a qualified electrician.
2. Record the aftermath of the disaster. Use a camera to take pictures and make videos so that the extent of the damage caused to the apartment by the flooding would be clearly visible. This is necessary if you are going to apply to your insurance company or to demand financial compensation in case the damage has been caused by your neighbors (for condo apartment owners).
3. Stop the flood. If the water is still gushing, turn off its supply completely and, if necessary, call the utility/emergency servicemen to get the system into working trim (you need these pros if there was a pipe or battery burst, but not if you've forgotten to turn off the tap in the bathroom).
4. Remove the water from the floor. Scoop out all the puddles, remove the dirt and dust. Take out the wet carpets, rugs, bedspreads and other textile furnishings from the house to dry them out. Wipe all the surfaces thoroughly with dry rags, including furniture, doors, appliances, etc.
5. Dry the room. It is one of the most difficult stages. After all, even after removing all the water and drying out all the things, the air remains wet and heavy. If the moisture in the air is not removed immediately, mold and mildew will spread on the walls and other surfaces and a persistent musty odor will develop. It is also necessary to ventilate the apartment well and turn on the heating appliances.

After all, in case of small damage, you'll return your house to its initial state. But, even now, you can't be sure that the water hasn't damaged the inner surfaces and mold wouldn't appear. Thus, it's better to entrust water damage mitigation to professionals.

What Is Water Mitigation Company?

In case of a flood, time matters much. And, it's within the powers of water mitigation companis to provide fast and efficient services aimed at eliminating the consequences of the flood.
What do the services of a water mitigation company include? First of all, it is immediate responding to your call with a full set of equipment, which might be necessary for all the required services. The specialists of such a company have impressive experience in eliminating the consequences of a flood in rooms of any size. They are equipped with the most effective modern equipment, which can collect water quickly and accurately, dry surfaces and eliminate harmful consequences. What is the job of a water mitigation company? This is a complex of actions that starts with water mitigation, includes complete cleaning of water from the premises, elimination of leak sources, repair of damaged surfaces or equipment, elimination of mold and subsequent testing of water for health safety.

What Does a Water Mitigation Company Do?

Considering the principle of work of any water mitigation company, let's divide it into several steps to make it clear how they cope with the problem.

1. The first step is the examination of the premises and determining the cause of the flooding. To effectively address the consequences, servicemen, first, need to determine why the flood has occurred and how to prevent its further spread.
2. The second step is classifying the type of water damage. There is a rank from 1 to 3, where category 1 is damage caused by clean water, e.g. in case of a pipe breakdown or a flooded sink. Category 2 is damage caused by water that contains other components, e.g. detergents, which can be caused by a leaking washer or dishwasher, for example. The most hazardous is category 3, which includes water damage caused by unclean water, e.g. from sewage or floods of rain. In this kind of water, the risk of bacterial invasion is high, thus it is dangerous for human health.
   One more classification is applied to the damage itself. It starts from class 1, which means that the damage is slight and there is little water on the floor. The highest class 4 is applied when the water has damaged the strongest materials such as concrete walls, stone or wood.
   These classifications are needed to choose the right strategy of water damage mitigation.
3. After the preliminary inspection and classification, the following step is drying water. To do that, lots of special devices are used, including air dehumidifiers and fans. The aim of every water mitigation company is to remove the maximum amount of water as quickly as possible not to allow mold and fungus spreading.
4. Removing all the damaged things from the room. This means that all the textiles, damaged flooring, pieces of furniture or household appliances damaged by water are removed from the room in order to be replaced, dried or restored later.
5. After completing all the main work, servicemen draw up a further action plan. You can also order additional treatment of the room with special anti-mold and antibacterial agents to reduce the likelihood of further spread of mold.
6. Depending on the provided range of services, water damage mitigation companies can also offer services for the restoration and repair of damaged things. First of all, these services are related to the restoration of the building itself, for example, the elimination of breakdowns in the water supply system and plumbing, which have caused the flood, the restoration of floors and ceilings after flooding, draining the basement and foundations, the removal of water from the yard and the restoration of fences. All this will be determined by the company's specialist and indicated in the plan after the initial elimination of the damage and the consequences of the flood.

How Long Does Water Mitigation Take?

As usual, in case of slight or medium damage in a single room, water mitigation takes up to 3 days or 72 hours. This period is necessary for urgent elimination of water from the room, since, after that, the growth of mold and mildew begins. Often, in case of small leaks, draining and eliminating the consequences takes several hours. However, there are some exceptions that may prolong mitigation routines.

• If servicemen have started the mitigation process with some delay, mold can have already started growing. So, it will take more time to get rid of it.
• In case of considerable damage the term could also be longer.
• When applying for complex services, including the reconstruction of the damaged items, be ready to wait up to 3 weeks.
• If the process includes restoring the rooftop, basement or hardwood, it can also take longer than 3 weeks, depending on the complexity and area of work to be done.

A skilled mitigation pro can determine the time needed for repairing all the damage right after the inspection of the room. In any case, the job of such a specialist is to execute all the processes as soon as possible, because the delay in water damage mitigation process is simply unacceptable.

How Much Does Water Mitigation Cost?

If you are interested in actual prices of water mitigation companies' services, you are welcome to use our table, which includes the average cost of the most popular water mitigation services. We've collected current 2024 prices according to the information from water mitigation companies around the US.

2024 Water Mitigation Costs

Is Water Mitigation Covered by Insurance?

It depends greatly on the type of the cause. To be more specific, if you are flooded due to a natural disaster, you'll get compensated. But, in case you haven't maintained your pipes or appliances properly and the flood is a result of their leaking, standard homeowners insurance policy doesn't cover such damage. To get compensation for sure, you should apply for a special insurance policy that includes covering flood issues, i.e. NFIP policy, which specializes in flood damage covering.