Water is the Enemy!
Facts You Need to Know to Protect Your Home and Health
Water is the Enemy!
Facts You Need to Know to Protect Your Home and Health
One in Three Homes Affected
At some point water will affect your home. The numbers from Insurance Industry Research are rather staggering. On any given day, 14,000 people in the United States experience water damage at work or at home. One out of three homes in the United States have suffered a loss from water damage at some point.
Why are these numbers so important? Because it could be your home that was effected and you may not have even known about it. Worse, it could have occurred and was never dealt with correctly.
The research available suggests that mold growth can begin in as little as 24-48 hours. Without the correct protocol and procedures for drying out a home, mold growth can affect your indoor air quality in a matter of days. Also, if mold growth is not stopped quickly, it will begin to contaminate the contents of your home - clothing, furniture and toys. Some molds, if left for prolonged periods of time, can even affect the structural integrity of your home or business.
Leaks
Slow leaks from supply lines to toilets, ice makers and washing machines are some of the most common leaks. Because some leaks are "pinhole" type leaks that leak slowly over time, they are often unobserved. This creates much more damage. In this case, you may not even notice the change in humidity within your home or office, but you will notice the smell of "off-gassing" of the mold growth. Most people call it a "musty" odor. That musty odor is a sign that there is mold growth occurring someplace in the structure.
The Musty Odor
When the musty odor is present, mold growth typically is occurring. Even if it cannot be seen, it can be growing in areas that have a high humidity level and/or have a water intrusion. Mold growth needs three conditions to grow: 1) access to water (or high humidity), 2) food such as paper, wood, dust, cloth or glue and 3) the correct temperature.
The chart shows how much water can escape a 1/8 inch split in a pipe. This would allow up to 250 gallons of water to intrude into the home in one day! It isn't a stretch of the imagination to understand how this quickly adds up and gets out of hand. I person not checking or using all the rooms in the home may not notice this leak until they begin to smell an odor from the room. This often happens in basements where people don't use the space on a daily basis.
Storm Damage
The day after a major storm is always an important day. Storm damage may include water intrusion(s) into a crawlspace or a basement or perhaps a tree limb that pokes a hole into the roof allowing water to flow into the attic. It is always a good idea to do a “general inspection” of the outside and the inside of the home after a major storm to see if there are limbs on the roof or water in the crawlspace or basement.
Add to the fact that we literally have thousands of feet of pipes and supply lines that could leak or burst inside of our homes and it is no coincidence that water damage and storm damage create such problems! Consider that one out of three homes in the United States has had water damage in the past and we quickly realize that water is the enemy and it seems to be winning!
If your home feels humid or is starting to have that damp, dank smell, those are indications of water damage and mold growth. Call for an indoor air quality inspection right away!
Remember that mold can begin to grow in as little as 24 - 48 hours and that when we have the odor, we have growth somewhere and should consider air testing at that point. Call Certified Inspectors of America for the most experienced mold certified inspectors today!
